Can Australian ever 'œwaste' the E-Waste problem?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 12 December 2008 04:21

Opinion and Analysis

In mobster parlance, to “waste” something is to get rid of it, hence the headline. Yet the question is vital, with millions of technological products currently going into landfill and polluting the earth for generations to come, with Australia’s politicians predictably “wasting” time dithering on not delivering a solution. The “TEC” demands action – now!

A new report (PDF Link) from the “Total Environment Centre” (TEC) says that “over 200 million electronic items will be dumped into landfills by 2010 unless Federal and State ministers move to require a recycling system”.

The report is called “Tipping Point: Australia’s E-waste Crisis”, and has just been presented to the office of Australia’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, and it outlines “Australia’s spiraling electronic waste problem as millions of computers, televisions, mobile phones, compact fluorescent lamps and other e-waste products make their way into landfill every year.”

Jeff Angel, TEC Director took to the technical terms in trumpeting that: “This is the motherboard of all problems. Federal and State governments must act to stop the dumping of millions of electronic items in landfill, each year. They’re recycled overseas; the community and business want the same here.

“We’re talking 37 million computers, 17 million televisions, 56 million mobile phones in landfill or on their way there by the end of 2008 with less than 4% recycling rate.

“And it’s only going to get worse. Australians are among the top 10 ten consumers of electronic technology in the world, however Australia has fallen behind the rest of the developed world because it lacks responsible end of life management for these products,” said Australia’s angel against E-Waste, Jeff Angel.

As the TEC notes, E-Waste can be deadly, as electronic products “contain toxic materials such as mercury, lead, arsenic brominated flame retardants, beryllium and cadmium which are leaked from landfill into the environment.”

Jeff Angel continued the E-Waste crusade and tirade, saying that: “Inaction from State and Federal governments on the issue has seen the lack of environmentally responsible options for electronic waste reach crisis point.

“We are asking the Environment Ministers to act swiftly on regulating to support the television industry’s product stewardship scheme and mandate producer responsibility for the collection and recycling of all end-of-life computers and mobile phones.

“We hope to see Peter Garrett take the lead,” stated Mr. Angel.

Indeed, so do we. Mr Garrett, please do not e-waste this opportunity to waste e-waste, nor to waste your career as the Minister for the Environment by allowing beds of toxic electronics to burn in landfills, leaching recyclable gunk into our water supplies.