• About this site|
• Site index|
• Contact us|
• Jobs

Electrical and Electronic Equipment Survey January 2006

Executive Summary

1 Introduction

2. Ownership of Electrical and Electronic Equipment

3. Replacement and Disposal of EEE

4. Promotion of Safe Disposal of EEE

Appendix: Supplementary Tables

4. Promotion of Safe Disposal of EEE

4.1 Barriers to EEE recycling

The greatest barriers to recycling of electronic items were the absence of collection schemes where respondents lived (39 percent) and that respondents were unaware how to recycle these items (33 percent). At much lower levels, 9 percent stated they could not be bothered to recycle and 5 percent that it was too expensive.

Figure 7: Barriers to EEE recycling*

View figure at full size including text description

Auckland residents were less likely to claim there were no collection schemes where they lived (26.7 percent). Those who lived in provincial regions (47.0 percent) and rural regions (56.2 percent) were more likely to claim there were no collection schemes where they lived.

Those aged under 30 years of age were more likely to declare they did not know how to recycle (42.8 percent) and could not be bothered (15.6 percent), while those aged 60 or more were less likely to say they did not know how to recycle electronic items (18.7 percent).

Those earning less than $15,000 per annum were more likely to claim that it was too expensive to recycle (11.0 percent). Māori respondents were more likely to declare they could not be bothered recycling (19.9 percent).

Table 19: Barriers to EEE recycling*

* Responses given in answer to the question: "Thinking now about recycling televisions, computers and mobile phones, which one of the following is the biggest barrier to you recycling these items?"

4.2 Promotion of EEE recycling

Of the four recycling promotion approaches tested in the research, preferences were quite evenly split across three of the options. Twenty-nine percent believed collection schemes where they lived would be the best approach to promote recycling of electronic items, 27 percent favoured increased promotion to encourage recycling, and 24 percent provision of more information on how to recycle. Financial incentives were less popular, with only 17 percent believing financial incentives and/or reduced costs to recycle would be most likely to promote recycling of electronic items.

Figure 8: Promotion of EEE recycling*

View figure at full size including text description

Those aged 60 years or more were less keen on financial incentives (9.9 percent), while those earning more than $70,000 per annum were more keen (29.6 percent).

Table 20: Promotion of EEE recycling*

* Responses given in answer to the question: "Which one of the following do you think will most promote recycling of electrical and electronic items in New Zealand?"