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E-waste

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (E-waste) poses an increasing waste management problem because:

  • the amount of e-waste produced in New Zealand is growing rapidly
  • there are environmental risks when e-waste is disposed of in lower quality landfills, because of the presence of substances such as lead, mercury and cadmium.
  • Loss of useful resources that could be used again such as copper and mercury

Some companies in New Zealand are already taking an innovative approach to taking back and recycling their products:

  • Fisher & Paykel take back old white appliances of any brand through their dealerships and service centres, which they recycle. Collected appliances are de-gassed as necessary, dismantled and recycled at a dedicated facility in Auckland.
  • Vodafone accept all old mobile phones and accessories for recycling. You can pick up a recycling envelope at any of their participating outlets throughout New Zealand or order them online.
  • Telecom have a mobile phone recycling service. Old phones can be handed in at Telecom shops throughout New Zealand.
  • Hewlett Packard will take back IT equipment from their corporate customers in New Zealand for recycling.
  • Dell will take back IT equipment from any New Zealand customer, domestic and corporate, for recycling.

The Ministry for the Environment acknowledges that companies such as these are leading the drive towards sustainable end-of-life product management. Ministry staff and key industry personnel have started to explore how a more comprehensive, product stewardship approach to this sector might work in New Zealand.

For other e-waste queries, contact e-waste@mfe.govt.nz.

E-waste reports

A Literature Review on the Environmental and Health Impacts of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

This report assesses the state of knowledge and consensus on the environmental and health impacts of post-consumer waste electronic and electrical equipment, within the context of New Zealand landfills and potential illegal dumping.

Electrical and electronic equipment surveys

In January and April 2006 the Ministry for the Environment commissioned surveys to find out more information about electrical and electronic equipment and how New Zealanders deal with them at the end of the product life cycle.