2009 Media Releases
Recycle your Electronic Waste
03 April 2009
e.waste drop-off event
9am to 4pm Saturday 18 April
Bicentennial Reserve lower car park, Small Street, Willoughby
Free (available to residents of Willoughby and Lane Cove Councils)
Information: 9777 1000
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Mayors Pat Reilly and Ian Longbottom at
e-waste drop-off event
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The e.waste recycling event is returning to Willoughby, allowing Willoughby City Council and Lane Cove Council residents to drop off their electronic waste free of charge from 9am to 4pm, Saturday 18 April, Bicentennial Reserve lower car park, Small Street, Willoughby, behind the Willoughby Leisure Centre.
Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, growing at five times the normal waste rates.
e.waste includes items such as monitors, keyboards, computer cables, laptops, notebooks, modems, scanners, printers, televisions, video players, DVD players and stereo systems.
Most e.waste contains metals such as copper, aluminium, gold, silver and tin, all of which are recyclable, but if electronic waste makes its way to landfill, these metals can leach into soil and groundwater and contaminate the environment for centuries.
“At the last e.waste event held by Willoughby City Council, more than 18 000 kilograms of e.waste was diverted from landfill which is a fantastic effort by our community, but there is still e.waste being sent to landfill. Australia currently sends 97 per cent of all end-of-life e.waste to landfill, compared with only 15 per cent in Europe,” said Willoughby Mayor, Pat Reilly.
“I encourage all residents to take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of electronic waste that might have been sitting around the house for years. The materials are a useful resource that can be reused and recycled,” he said.
Computers are almost entirely recyclable with 99 per cent of the materials used to make computers able to be recycled. Using recycled materials rather than processing new materials produces up to 80 per cent less carbon emissions and every tonne of recycled e.waste saves three to five tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Willoughby City Council also provides residents with services to recycle chemical waste, fridges and mobile phones. For further information phone 9777 1000 or visit our pages on waste and recycling.
Media Contact
Media and Marketing Group Manager
Phone: 9777 7703
Mobile: 0421 492 757
Email: rebecca.hill@willoughby.nsw.gov.au