Growing e-waste problem demands solutions

From landfill, e-waste leaches harmful chemicals into the soil and waterways, which affect agriculture and drinking water. Photo / Getty Images

With the constant desire for the newest thing, technology is becoming obsolete in the blink of an eye. With outdated technology comes e-waste, the latest scourge on our landfills, our health and our environment.

In fact, 20-50 million metric tonnes of e-waste end up in landfills worldwide annually, and New Zealand alone dumps 80,000 tonnes.

The Government released a report in June to assess the growing environmental concerns of e-waste and to lay out a framework for managing growing amounts of it in New Zealand. This plan, called a product stewardship scheme, would place the responsibility to recycle on all players in the production of technology, not just the consumer. The program would encourage managing the end-of-life impact of products.

Yet critics say the report failed to outline a thoroughly detailed plan for reducing the impact of e-waste. EDay Trust Chair Laurence Zwimpfer says that though these Government reports increase awareness, they are not implemented in a way that actually reduces waste.

The eDay Trust, which has organised computer recycling events across the nation, is urging the Minister for the Environment to fully implement a plan for managing the waves of technology including computers, televisions, cell phones, printers and medical devices that are becoming a growing presence in our landfills.

From landfill, e-waste leaches harmful chemicals into the soil and waterways, which affect agriculture and drinking water. The average computer, which has a useful life span of just five years, contains lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants, many of which are carcinogens and are being increasingly found in wildlife and humans.

Not only is e-waste harmful to our health and the environment, but it's financially wasteful as well. Technology often includes recyclable gold, silver and copper. Just in America, over US$60 million worth of precious metals that could have been recovered end up in landfill each year.

Zwimpfer thinks the Government needs to increase its efforts to prevent the prevalence of e-waste.

"The Government has been supportive of numerous initiatives to try and stem the tide of e-waste entering landfills," said Zwimpfer. "However, while these initiatives have raised awareness of the issue, none of them have resulted in a long-term sustainable solution."

The eDay Trust encourages a program for letting consumers recycle their used equipment at no extra cost, similar to the stewardship program outlined in the Government report. The program will build the cost of recycling into the price of products, so when they reach the end of their life, consumers can recycle products with no extra cost to them. To implement this, the program would need regulatory support from the Government, and the eDay Trust says it's needed now.

"For every year that we wait for the Minister to proceed on this product stewardship scheme, the problem gets worse," said Zwimpfer.

"Our credibility as a 'clean green' country and an environmentally aware community is now on the line with electronic producers and recyclers," he continued. "We cannot expect further engagement from them without a clear commitment that Government will play its part."

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