Declutter your garage and study with free disposal of your electronic waste this weekend.
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Drop Zone by MRI E-cycle Solutions and Cleanaway, in association with Bega Valley Shire Council, are accepting e-waste at Bermagui, Eden and Merimbula tips for free, this weekend only (May 26 and 27).
For those unable to make it to those locations this weekend, Cleanaway will have a large skip outside their depot on Kerrisons Lane in Bega for e-waste only on Monday, May 28.
Drop Zone said more than 95 per cent of e-waste from the initiative would be recycled, and none of the collected items resold or remarketed.
Items such as televisions and computers contain materials including gold and other precious metals that make recovery worthwhile.
Drop Zone CEO Rose Read said e-waste also contains materials that should be disposed of safely lest they harm the environment.
“Sending e-waste to landfill is not only a waste of scarce resources, it can potentially harm the environment and human health where hazardous substances like lead or cadmium may leach into waterways if not disposed of safely and correctly,” she said.
“By using the free Drop Zone service at Bega Valley council sites and depots, residents can help ensure that the materials in their obsolete electronics will be recovered and recycled. This is a great outcome for the community and the environment.”
Bega Valley Shire Council waste management coordinator Joley Vidau said it was the second year the free e-waste disposal initiative had come to the Bega Valley.
“It’s a great opportunity to get rid of any old and broken e-waste you’ve been wanting to get rid of...It’s fantastic to keep all this out of our landfill,” she said.
Ms Vidau said she believed around 100 tonnes of electronic waste was collected through the shire’s tips and waste recovery centres last year.
It is all sent to MRI in Canberra, via Cleanaway, for processing, but that is a costly exercise, hence the normal fees for tip users to dispose of their e-waste.
“Part of our ongoing review of the shire’s waste strategy is looking at ways it could done here,” she said this week.
Eligible items for e-waste collection include computers, CRT/LCD monitors, keyboards/mouse, printers/scanners/fax machines, electrical cables, televisions, projectors, network equipment, modems, hubs/routers/switches, communication modules, communication racks and PABX.
e-waste disposal free weekend
- Bermagui – Strudwicks Rd, 10am to 2.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, May 26-27.
- Eden Waste and Recycling Depot, Princes Hwy, 7.30am to 4.30pm, Sunday, May 27.
- Merimbula Waste and Recycling Depot, Red Hill Rd off Sapphire Coast Drive, 7.30am to noon and 1pm to 4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, May 26-27
- Bega – Cleanaway Depot, 116 Kerrisons Ln, 9am to 5pm, Monday, May 28