National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme Outcomes 2014–15

Executive Summary

The design of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme is based on the principles of product stewardship, an approach to managing the impact that different products and materials have on the environment and on human health throughout their lifecycle.

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme contributes to resource recovery and hazardous waste management, requiring television and computer importers to fund the collection and recycling of a proportion of the electronic waste generated in Australia each year.

The scheme’s long-term goals include the diversion of hazardous television and computer waste from landfill, an increase in the recovery of useable materials, and greater access to recycling for communities across Australia.

Industry must take responsibility for a progressively higher proportion of total waste each year, from 30 per cent in 2012–13 to 80 per cent at the peak of the scheme’s rollout.

In 2014–15, industry’s responsibility was to fund the recycling of 35 per cent of waste arising. Management of television and computer e‑waste beyond these targets, as well as management of other 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 130 liable parties in 2014–15. Liable party compliance as a proportion of the weight of liable imports was 99.8 per cent at 30 June 2015.

There were five co-regulatory arrangements operating in 2014–15: 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.  

At the end of the financial year, the administrator of Reverse E-waste made an application under 28(3) of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 for cancellation of the arrangement. This application was granted on 7 August 2015.

A total of 1,677 collection services were provided to the public under the scheme in 2014‑15, and 1,060 of these services were shared between one or more co-regulatory arrangements. 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 121,866.3 tonnes of televisions and computers reached end-of-life in Australia in 2014–15. Industry’s target under the scheme was to recycle 35 per cent of this amount, or 42,653.2 tonnes. A total of 44,730.5 tonnes of recycling was achieved in 2014­–15. 

Further information

• More about co-regulatory arrangements