Electronics

Electronic waste

Updated: 10 Oct 2011
11oct-ewaste-hero

Introduction

Who's dragging the chain on electronic waste?

Got an old telly or an aging VCR squirreled away at home? We decided to find out how easy it is to recycle an older set - so we mystery-shopped 10 major TV manufacturers and retailers.

The results were dismal. Only one company was willing to recycle our old TV.

The e-waste problem

e-waste

According to a recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), many of us are hording unused electronic gizmos. The UNEP wants us to recycle them to make sure the metals they contain are reused – and to promote the shift to a "green economy".

But recycling electronic waste ("e-waste") has proved easier said than done, thanks to the entrenched reluctance of companies to provide take-back schemes for old appliances and the glacial pace of government policymaking.

Finally, there’s some better news to report. Minister for the Environment Nick Smith has announced $1 million from the Waste Minimisation Fund to support e-waste recycling centres. The "e-Cycle" sites are being run by RCN Limited and the Community Recycling Network. The initiative received seed funding of $400,000 in 2010 and sites are operating in 18 centres (see e-Cycle sites).

Take-back schemes

The minister has also announced funding to businesses to run take-back schemes for old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs. A temporary two-week scheme run in conjunction with The Warehouse ended on 4 October.

Details of how longer-term schemes will work and when they'll start are sketchy. But without the government money, manufacturers and retailers are unlikely to be doing anything much. That's what our mystery shop found.

Manufacturers

None of our calls to manufacturers resulted in a recycling solution to our old TV.

LG
We called LG to find out what we could do with an LG set that had come to the end of its life. The customer service rep said the company didn't take back old TVs. And no suggestions were offered for where else we could take the appliance. The rep didn't give any hint she knew about the e-Cycle sites (see e-Cycle sites).

Panasonic
The green claims on Panasonic's website made us mildly optimistic that the company might have a recycling solution for our old telly. Panasonic pledges it "will practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and the protection of the environment". The customer service rep suggested we could drop off the TV at the company's Auckland office in East Tamaki. But when we explained we were calling from Wellington, the rep couldn't offer a solution.

Samsung
Samsung's website also boasts the company's green credentials. Samsung claims it aims "to consider [our] impact on the environment first as we continue to work, develop, engineer and design innovative products and solutions to inspire and satisfy our customers". But we were left decidedly unsatisfied when we asked about recycling a Samsung TV. The customer service rep suggested we try Samsung's Auckland repair centre. But the repair centre said it only did repairs and didn't take back old sets.

Sharp
Sharp New Zealand says its policy "is to achieve a high standard of environmental care in conducting our business". The customer service rep told us Sharp doesn't have a recycling scheme for TVs but it was "implementing one". The rep didn't know when the scheme would be running. If our old Sharp TV was still working, she suggested putting it on Trade Me or ringing a church group to see if they wanted it. When we explained the TV had died, she didn't have any suggestions.

Sony
Not to be outdone in the green claims stakes, Sony's website states the company is committed to "environmentally sound business practices" and "aims to achieve eco-efficiency in its business activities". When we called to ask whether the company could take back an old Sony TV, the customer service rep told us it didn't provide a recycling service. She suggested we ring the local council for advice on what to do with it.

Retailers

Our strike rate with retailers was only marginally better.

Bond & Bond
We called Bond & Bond to find out if the company could take back an old TV previously purchased from the store. The rep said if we were buying a new set, they would take the old one away. But if we weren't buying new, we were stuck. The rep suggested we take the TV to the landfill or phone a repair shop to see if they were interested in it for spare parts.

Harvey Norman
We got a similar response from Harvey Norman. The company said there was "no particular place" we could take our TV.

LV Martin
Wellington retailer LV Martin did have a solution. The salesperson said we could bring our old TV back to the store and they would arrange for it to be recycled. The salesperson even offered to help lift the set out of the car when we dropped it off. Couldn't fault that.

Noel Leeming
No such luck at Noel Leeming. The store said it would take our old TV away if we were buying a new one. But it had no solutions for disposing of our telly if we weren't buying another.

100% Appliances
The salesperson at 100% Appliances in Wellington tried to be helpful, although his advice wasn't 100% clear. He told us there was a place out "near the landfill" at Porirua – we assume he was referring to Trash Palace, which runs an e-waste drop-off centre. He also said there was somewhere "down by the stadium". We think he was probably referring to the site of past "E-day" collections. E-day was an annual event where you could take old computers for recycling but its government funding has been stopped. 

Lagging behind

Waste

Despite the sweeping environmental claims made by some manufacturers, staff often failed to provide basic information about recycling options.

Even if a company doesn't offer a take-back scheme, staff should be able to tell consumers about other options. Wellington's e-waste depot at Trash Palace has been operating for some time yet only one retailer seemed to be aware of it. LG and Sony told us they were briefing customer service staff about e-Cycle and adding information to their websites about recycling options.

Karen Driver, spokesperson for the Community Recycling Network (which has partnered with RCN to set-up e-Cycle sites), says manufacturers and retailers are "key" to reducing the e-waste problem. She says e-Cycle is a direct response to the lack of industry action: "We felt we couldn't keep sitting around and waiting for something to happen".

Karen believes industry players are aware of the e-waste problem but says there's a reluctance to act unless everyone does. She says e-Cycle is continuing to talk with the industry about its role. No manufacturer or retailer has yet provided financial support for the project.

Garth Wyllie, executive officer of the Consumer Electronics Association of New Zealand (CEANZ), says industry hasn’t been silent. When regulation was on the cards in 2008, he says industry players proposed a levy on new TVs to fund their recycling. But a change of government saw plans halted.

Garth says CEANZ still supports a mandatory product stewardship scheme for e-waste: "A voluntary approach isn’t going to work – unless there are rules that apply to everyone, there’ll always be companies that opt out."

Environment Minister Nick Smith says further work is being done to "explore product stewardship for electronic goods". But firm plans have yet to emerge. Overseas, it's taken legislation to get results. Across the Tasman, regulations are set to usher in a national television and computer recycling scheme. Recycling will be free for Aussie consumers, though they may have to pay a small fee when they buy a new product to cover the future cost of collection and recycling. 

e-Cycle sites

e-Cycle site

There are 18 e-Cycle sites. In the North Island, centres are open in Auckland (Albany), Dargaville, Gisborne, Hastings, Kaitaia, Mt Maunganui, Raglan, Rotorua, Tauranga, Thames, Wellington (Porirua and Seaview), Whakatane and Whangarei.

In the South Island, they're open in Alexandra, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hurunui, Nelson, Queenstown and Wanaka.

Sites accept most household appliances and consumer electronics including computers, printers, TVs, washing machines, dryers, stereos, video players and game consoles. Fees apply at most centres, depending on whether they're subsidised by the local council. The standard drop-off charge is $20 for a TV, $11.50 for a printer, and $5 for a computer box or laptop.

If you live outside these areas, your best option is to contact your local council for information about e-waste recycling options.

Tips for reducing e-waste

E-waste

Five ways you can reduce your electronic waste:

  • Think about what you're buying. You don't need to buy a new TV for the digital switchover. A digital receiver (set-top box) will also work.
  • Use our appliance reliability reports to help choose reliable longer-lasting brands.
  • Quiz companies about their recycling options if you're making a new purchase.
  • Find out if there's an e-Cycle site in your town (see e-Cycle sites). If not, lobby your council to support one.
  • Take advantage of other e-waste recycling schemes. Fisher and Paykel runs a free recycling service for old fridges and freezers (of any brand) in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The company will pick up from your home. Retailers such as Bond & Bond and Noel Leeming take back old mobile phones.

Waste watching

In July 2009, a "waste levy" of $10 a tonne was introduced on all waste going to a landfill. The Waste Minimisation Act requires levy income to be spent on waste-reduction projects. Last year, around $6.5 million was distributed through the Waste Minimisation Fund.

Of the 25 projects funded in 2010, by far the largest grant went to the Glass Packaging Forum (a whopping $1.6 million) to set up public recycling bins in regions hosting rugby world cup games. It's estimated the project will collect 9000 tonnes of rubbish, which the Forum says is equivalent to 27 million beer bottles, 286 million plastic drink bottles and a similar number of aluminium cans.

The majority of projects funded last year received grants of under $200,000. A Ministry for the Environment review of all 25 projects rated 10 as "good", eight as "adequate" and one as "poor" (the ministry says it "no longer has concerns" about this project). The review concluded it was too early to tell whether the remaining six projects "were delivering against their outcomes". 

We say

  • E-Cycle sites give consumers a recycling option for old electrical and electronic appliances. We'd like to see more options to help consumers dispose of old appliances safely.
  • We support a mandatory product stewardship scheme. It's the only effective way to ensure all companies start to take cradle-to-grave responsibility for the products they sell.
     

More information

Report by Jessica Wilson