E-waste recycling doubles
The amount of e-waste Palmerston North residents are recycling has doubled since the city council reduced charges for drop-offs at the Ferguson St recycling centre.
Waste operations manager Stewart Hay said before the price cut, about 33 tonnes, or 3050 items of e-waste, were handled each year.
In the first three months of the lower charges, 1587 items were dropped off, heading toward an annual tally of 6300 items if the trend continues.
Hay said marketing of the lower charges had played a part in increasing people’s awareness of what could be dropped off.
Some of the biggest increases were in the numbers of small computer items, TVS, and small and medium appliances such as toasters, phones and microwaves.
Hay said the increase in items coming through was having an effect on the capacity of the facility, which was likely to slip $30,000 behind budget for the financial year as a result.
Councillors at a finance and performance committee meeting on Monday welcomed the diversion of twice as much e-waste from the general rubbish going to landfill.
Cr Brent Barrett said it was heartening, and there was potential to do more by working with and learning from other councils and private enterprises.
He and Cr Adrian Broad were also keen to see more dismantling and recovery of e-waste carried out in Palmerston North.
At the moment the collected e-waste goes to Auckland business E-cycle Ltd.
Broad won councillor support for a call to lobby the Government to introduce mandatory product stewardship schemes that would see the cost of disposal factored into the cost of electronic and electrical goods.
That could help pay for local dismantling and recovery business schemes.