Recycle e-waste
E-waste (electronic waste) is growing 3 times faster than any other waste stream. E-waste contains potentially hazardous and valuable materials, which don‘t belong in landfill.
To help protect our environment and recover more precious resources, the Victorian Government has banned all e-waste from landfill as of 1 July 2019. That means e-waste can’t go in any household bin.
E-waste drop-off points
E-waste should not be put in your rubbish or recycling bin.
Take e-waste to a drop-off point. To find your closest e-waste drop-off point, use the Recycling Near You directory.
When there are no e-waste drop-off points near you
If there are currently no drop-off points near you, or you have a different electronic item to get rid of:
- check your local council's website for other disposal options in your area
- pass it onto your friends, family or sell second hand, if it’s still working
- have it collected from your home through eMeals.
Where to take common e-waste items
Batteries
Check your council’s website to find your nearest battery or electronics recycling drop-off point or visit: B-cycle to find B-cycle drop-off points for regular AA and other size batteries, button batteries, rechargeable batteries and easily removable batteries.
Visit Recycle Mate or Planet Ark for drop off points in your local area, including vapes.
Also see Mobile Muster or Association for the Battery Recycling Industry for advice on disposing of lithium-battery products
Computers and laptops
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme has designated collection points across Victoria. These are provided by:
Remember to properly remove data from your devices. E-waste organisations should be able to provide you with detailed options on how data can be destroyed.
You should consider the following:
- Can they come to you and erase the data at your premises? This is important if data is especially sensitive.
- What wiping procedures or software do they use to erase data?
- Do they shred the device? Do they do it on their premises or elsewhere?
- Can they certify that all data has been destroyed?
Light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes and light bulbs can be disposed of for free at permanent drop-off sites located at most council-operated transfer stations.
Mobile phones
MobileMuster is a free, not-for-profit mobile phone recycling program that accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories.
Dropping items off is free but don't forget to properly remove your personal data.
Smoke detectors
Domestic smoke alarms are not included in the e-waste ban and can be disposed of in your rubbish bin.
Whitegoods
Metal from whitegoods can be recycled again and again to make new products, so it's important that they don't end up in landfill. Visit the Whitegoods recycler lookup - Recycling Near You website.
What is e-waste?
E-waste is any item with a plug, battery or power cord that’s no longer working or wanted. It covers a whole range of items from phones and refrigerators to fluorescent light tubes.
E-waste can include:
Electrical and electronic tools
- Batteries
- Drills
- Lawn mowers
- Saws
- Sewing machines
IT, telecommunications and TV equipment
- Computers
- Laptops
- Mobile phones
- Printers
- Remote controls
- Televisions
Home appliances (large)
- Air conditioners
- Cookers
- Electric fans
- Microwaves
- Refrigerators
- Washing machines
Home appliances (small)
- Coffee machines
- Hair dryers
- Irons
- Toasters
- Watches
Lighting equipment
- Compact fluorescent lamps
- Discharge lamps
- Fluorescent lamps
- High-intensity LEDs
Other items
- Automatic dispensers
- Medical devices
- Printer cartridges
- Thermostats
Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Amplifiers
- Consoles
- Hand-held video games
- Musical instruments
- Radios
- Toys like electric trains and racing cars
Advice for businesses
Using a waste removal provider
If your business generates e-waste that cannot be managed through one of the free recycling schemes mentioned above, check with your current waste removal provider to see if they can collect it. If not, you may need to contact a specialist e-waste collection business.
To ensure you enlist a reputable operator that will transfer your e-waste to a fully-accredited reprocessor, it’s worth checking what certifications the reprocessor has.
Externally audited certifications to look out for include:
- EPA Licence – Issued by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria for businesses that reprocess more than 500 tonnes of e-waste.
- AS/NZS 5377:2013 –The Australian and New Zealand Standard for the collection, storage, transport and treatment of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.
- Responsible Recycling (R2: 2013) standard – Issued by the American National Standards Institute.
Implement a workplace e-waste plan
The first step of implementing a successful e-waste plan is to understand the types of e-waste your business or organisation produces, or is likely to produce. This will help you formulate a plan to manage it in a secure and cost-effective way.
Start by considering:
- What kind of e-waste do you produce?
- How much do you produce, per month, per quarter, per year?
- Where is your e-waste located?
- What asset management plans do you have in place?
- Do you have someone in the business responsible for managing e-waste?
- What e-waste services do you currently use?
Once you know what e-waste you produce and need to dispose of, you can identify suitable options.
Follow EPA's guidelines for how to handle e-waste in the workplace.
Vendor takeback
The best way to address the issue of e-waste is to minimise the amount we create in the first place.
Another scheme businesses can use to minimise their e-waste is vendor takeback.
This is where the supplier who sold you the piece of equipment collects it after it has reached the end of its useful life or when you no longer need it. Even if you’re buying equipment from a new supplier, it’s worth asking if they can collect your old items.