Take Your E-waste To A Better Place

Published on 10 January 2025

Are you replacing electronic gadgets that cannot be fixed?  Has your toaster stopped working or is it time to upgrade the computer?

Remember that these items cannot go into any of your kerbside bins.  Council provides e-waste bins at the Hopetoun, Warracknabeal and Murtoa transfer stations along with temporary facilities at the bimonthly Patchewollock and Yaapeet skips.  Small e-waste items - phones, cords, laptops ect. can be dropped into the Council Municipal Office in Warracknabeal.

Household batteries can also be dropped off at a variety of locations such as supermarkets that now have battery recycling station and other council offices.

While e-waste is a global issue, it is also a local problem.  Australians are amongst the highest users and disposers of technology - with e-waste increasing at a rate that is three times faster than other waste.  Is it not unusual for homes to have a number of old mobile phones stashed away - usually because they seem too good to throw away.

While keeping e-waste out of landfill is important, there are two other reasons for being pro-active about recycling out e-waste:

1. It prevents hazardous materials from harming the environment or human health.  Hazardous materials can include lead, mercury, ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and flame retardants.  These materials, even in small quantities, can cause harm to the environment as they leach into soil and waterways if not disposed of appropriately.
2. E-waste contains valuable materials that can be reused.  A good example is the ubiquitous mobile phone.  With more than a million mobile phones discarded in Australia every year, we could recover up to 16 tonnes of copper, 350 kilograms of silver and 34 kilograms of gold.

We can deal with electoral and electronic goods better.  Some tips are:

1. Smarter purchasing - try to avoid goods that have built in obsolescence or a short term life.
2. Repairability - look to purchase goods that can be repaired without voiding warranties.
3. Look after the goods we have - keep them clean, well maintained and serviced.
4. Use goods as they are meant to be used - don't overfill refrigerators and read installation instructions to ensure efficient use.

If you have any further questions, there is a comprehensive booklet on dealing with e-waste available at the Shire Municipal Office in Warracknabeal.