Rethink urged on e-waste

Computer Access New Zealand fears volunteers may be left to deal with electronic waste for several years, as the computer industry waits to find out how the Government intends to help it recycle.

Parliament passed the Waste Minimisation Act in September, which empowered the Environment Ministry to approve and if necessary set up "product stewardship schemes", including mandatory levies on products to pay for recycling.

But the ministry said in a discussion document earlier this year that e-waste was not a priority, arguing it was less harmful than some other waste.

The ministry would monitor the effectiveness of any voluntary product stewardship schemes for the first two to three years before assessing whether further action was required.

Computer Access New Zealand (Canz) chairman Laurence Zwimpfer says the non-profit trust has been pushing hard for a re-think.

The ministry appeared to be eyeing "easy wins" by concentrating first on schemes for fridges containing CFCs and used oil, both of which were being dealt with, and agricultural chemicals, which were relatively easy to tackle because few distributors were involved in the supply chain.

Ministry spokeswoman Sophie Lee says a summary of the 260 submissions it received in response to its discussion document should be made public within the next two weeks. Used oil, agricultural chemicals and refrigerants all had "known significant environmental harm", and New Zealand had international obligations to manage the latter two.

Canz will hold "eDays" in 40 towns and cities on September 12, when consumers will be able to drop off computer equipment for recycling, free of charge. Two previous annual collections netted 1361 tonnes of equipment, otherwise probably destined for landfills.

Collections will take place in Wellington, Paraparaumu, Masterton, Nelson and Napier and other centres around the country. Details will be posted at eday.org.nz.

The Environment Ministry estimates 8.7 million tonnes of waste of all types was produced in 2006. Of this, an estimated 2.4 million tonnes was recycled and 3.2 million tonnes disposed of at municipal landfills.

Efforts by the Consumer Electronics Association to establish an industry-designed product stewardship scheme for computer products got bogged down last year after multinational PC makers insisted local assemblers pay a deposit when they sold computers.

They argued locally owned assemblers might go out of business, leaving others to pick up their recycling costs.

Local assemblers argued that paying upfront would have tied up their capital and put them at a competitive disadvantage.

The association had more luck with a scheme for televisions. Mr Zwimpfer says TV makers agreed to a levy on imports to pay for recycling and are now waiting for the Environment Ministry to give them the power to start the scheme.

Progress setting up a similar scheme for unwanted computer equipment is in the Government's hands, he says. "The Government is not so keen on regulation, but the industry is saying quite consistently that unless there is regulation and there is a level playing field, no-one is going to buy in. I worry everyone is going to sit around, unless there is a fairly firm hand from Government."

Even if e-waste is identified as a priority, a product stewardship scheme could be three years away.

"The Environment Ministry has to call for submissions about how it will be dealt with. It has to invite industry to put up industry schemes, and if that doesn't happen it has the power to develop regulation. But that is a two-to-three year process."

THE NUMBERS

In 2000, the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) discovered that consumer electronics constitute 40 per cent of the lead found in landfills.

The CEC also estimated that 22 per cent of the annual world consumption of mercury is used in electrical and electronic equipment.

A Danish study estimates that waste electrical and electronic equipment represents about 78 per cent of the total content of brominated flame retardants in waste.

Source: Canz

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