New scheme to dispose of electronic waste

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Neil Wallace, e-waste coordinator at Nelson Environment Centre's Ecoland, checks out an incoming loads of electronic waste.

Great news for Nelson residents needing to dispose of electronic waste

Got a pile of old electronic items mouldering in a corner of the garage? It's a great time to take them to Ecoland to be recycled— Nelson City Council now provides a $20 subsidy for residents wishing to do the right thing and keep e-waste out of the landfill.

Late last year, Nelson Environment Centre (NEC) moved premises to Ecoland so it could set up its electronic waste recycling service for Nelson and Tasman, the only e-waste recycling service available in the region.

Under the scheme, items dropped off for recycling at Ecoland are shipped to E-Cycle in Christchurch, where they are dismantled and all recyclable materials are recovered.

'The service has been well used, but we are well aware that a $45 charge for recycling cathode-ray televisions and a $25 charge for bulky computer monitors has led many people to seek less environmentally friendly ways of disposing of waste', NEC e-waste manager Karen Driver said.

'We're delighted that Council have agreed to a subsidy for Nelson residents, which is already encouraging more people to use the scheme.'

E-waste is the fastest growing toxic waste stream; every year, New Zealand generates over 80,000 tonnes of electronic waste, much of which contains toxic elements, including mercury and lead, and precious metals such as gold and silver, which are lost if the item is landfilled.

Nelson City Council's $20 subsidy is now available to Nelson residents for e-waste recycled through NEC's Ecoland store at 31 Vanguard Street, Nelson.

The subsidy, in the form of a discount on the recycling invoice, is limited to one per household or business up to 30 June 2018.

The total fund for the subsidy is limited so it will finish once it is used up or on 30 June 2018, whichever is earlier. To check out the costs of your E-waste recycling before the subsidy, visit http://www.nec.org.nz/e-waste-recycling-subsidy-nelson-residents/

For more information, please contact Karen Driver, Ecoland, karendriver@nec.org.nz 03 545 9176