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Coalition Government television recycling scheme

Thursday, 05 May 2011

The Coalition Government has announced a plan to help householders affected by today's switching-off of analog television in regional Victoria to recycle their unwanted televisions.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Ryan Smith said the Coalition Government would implement a transitional recycling program because a planned national recycling scheme was yet to commence.

"The Victorian Government will invest $285,000 for a program that will allow people to drop off their old analog televisions for recycling," Mr Smith said.

"We don't want an influx of unwanted televisions in local landfill sites across regional Victoria.

"The analog signal has been turned off in parts of regional Victoria, but the national recycling scheme is not under way.

"I have written to the Federal Government urging it to match our funding dollar-for-dollar, particularly given today's switch-off date is the responsibility of the Commonwealth.

"My office has been liaising with the federal Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, Senator Don Farrell. I urge the Federal Government to support our efforts to prevent old analog televisions from ending up in the dump and instead have them recycled."

Mr Smith said the program would be administered by Sustainability Victoria.

Collection points will be set up in Sale, Wodonga, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Bendigo, Ballarat, Hamilton, Horsham and Nhill. Details on the local collection sites and timing will be announced soon.

Legislation for the National Television and Computer Stewardship Scheme was only recently introduced into Federal Parliament, meaning the actual start of the recycling program is still some way off.

Mr Smith said that that analog signal had already been turned off in the Mildura-Sunraysia district and it was due to occur in Melbourne from 31 December 2013.

 110505_R_Smith_-_Coalition_Government_television_recycling_scheme.pdf 34.66 Kb