Television recycling message gets through

Rotorua Recycling Centre worker John Lee has been kept busy with thousands of TVs being dropped off at the centre. Photo/Stephen Parker

Staff at the Rotorua Recycling Centre are "gobsmacked" at the number of used, unwanted television sets that have been dropped off in recent months.

About 5000 televisions have been handed in to the recycling centre on Te Ngae Rd since late last year when collection services for e-waste including computers, stereo units and television sets were introduced.

Since the digital switch-over on December 1, where analogue TV signals were switched off throughout the country and replaced by digital signals, hundreds of TVs have been dropped off at the centre keeping workers "busy, but happy".

John Lee, who has been working at the centre for more than five years, said he has never seen so many TVs in one place.

"It's like a never-ending stream of TVs. We've had truckloads of them. People just keep bringing in more and more," he said.

"But I'm glad to see it. When you think about it, it takes about a million years for a glass bottle to fully break down, so imagine how many years it would take for one of these massive, bulky things to decompose. It's good to see people doing the right thing and getting them recycled."

Mr Lee said most people he spoke to had decided to upgrade their TVs rather than get a digital router for their existing TVs.

After a TV is dropped off at the centre, they are wrapped, put on crates and sent to centres where the materials they contain - like copper, metals, glass and plastics are removed.

These materials are then reused or recycled.

Mr Lee, a keen recycler, said it was important for Rotorua residents to recycle.

"The amount of rubbish cities put in the ground is unbelievable. This is our planet, we only have one, so we may as well recycle and do our best to look after it.

Mr Lee said while working at the centre required a lot of hard and gritty work, he loved his job.

"It's good fun here. I can laugh and joke with the customers, they get to know you and start giving you nicknames."

Mr Lee said the busiest time for the centre was on weekends, where about 1500 cars come through to drop off recyclables.

Rotorua District Council works manager Peter Dine said the recycling centre had been a clear success.

"It runs very efficiently and has been embraced by residents who call in as a regular part of their trips into the city.

"A number of other New Zealand councils considering setting up or further developing their own recycling facilities have visited our facility with a view to following our practice."

Mr Dine said the drive-in and drop-off concept meant it recycled a much larger range of waste products than possible in other cities.

He said Rotorua residents were very good recyclers, but there was always room for more people to get into the recycling habit.

"In Rotorua we recycle significantly more waste per head of population than most cities where there is kerbside recycling.

"Last year 36 per cent of Rotorua's waste stream was recycled."