2015
June 2015
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Executive summary
- 52,736 tonnes of e-waste were recycled under the scheme
- 879 longer-term and 302 event-based collection services were made available around Australia
- 141 TV and computer importers and manufacturers were liable; by 30 June 2014, 137 of these parties had met their obligation to participate in the scheme
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme requires the television and computer industries to fund collection and recycling of a proportion of the televisions and computers disposed of in Australia each year. The scheme’s long-term goals include the diversion of potentially hazardous television and computer waste from landfill, an increase in the recovery of useable materials and greater access to recycling for communities across Australia.
The scheme’s design includes a stepped implementation over a number of years, with industry taking responsibility for a progressively higher proportion of total waste televisions and computers each year, from 30 per cent in 2012–13 to 80 per cent in 2021–22. In 2013–14, industry’s responsibility was to fund the recycling of 33 per cent of waste arising. Management of television and computer e-waste beyond these targets, as well as management of other e-waste, is the responsibility of state and territory governments and, through them, local governments.
Companies importing or manufacturing over a threshold amount of television or computer products are liable under the scheme and must join and fund an approved co-regulatory arrangement to provide collection and recycling services on their behalf. There were 141 liable parties in 2013–14. Liable party compliance as a proportion of the weight of liable imports was 99.2 per cent at 30 June 2014.
Five approved co-regulatory arrangements were operating in 2013–14: Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform Limited (ANZRP), DHL Supply Chain (Australia) Pty Limited, Ecycle Solutions Pty Ltd, Electronic Product Stewardship Australasia (EPSA) and Reverse E-waste. A total of 1181 collection services were provided by the five co-regulatory arrangements in 2013–14. These included longer-term services, such as drop off points at major electronics retailers and local government waste transfer stations, as well as temporary collection events.
An estimated total of 131,607 tonnes of televisions and computers reached end-of-life in Australia in 2013–14. Industry’s target under the scheme was to recycle 33 per cent of this amount, or 43,430 tonnes. A total of 52,736 tonnes of recycling was achieved, in excess of the scheme target by approximately 9,304 tonnes. Each co-regulatory arrangement exceeded its recycling target.