Why more WEEE is not reused or recycled

WEEE often ends up in our landfills because:

  • end users are not aware of alternative options
  • the alternatives are considered too expensive
  • there is limited infrastructure available to collect WEEE separately
  • there are no viable economic markets for the material once it is collected (for example, plastics or glass).

New Zealand’s dispersed and relatively small population means that the economics of establishing full WEEE processing facilities (including metal smelting) are not currently favourable. The recycling options are constrained by:

  • the low and sporadic collected volumes
  • vulnerability to fluctuating market prices
  • high freight shipping and labour costs
  • lack of certainty in supply
  • low technology infrastructure.

Countries with larger populations, a comprehensive collection network with higher collected volumes, and access to the materials market are able to operate in an economically viable manner.

This has the potential to change in New Zealand as greater emphasis is placed on the efficient use of resources.


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Last updated:15 March 2011