The Andrews Labor Government has awarded 76 councils with $16.5 million to help them manage Victoria’s e-waste and keep it out of landfill.
Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio today announced the major funding boost, which will go towards upgrading more than 130 e-waste collection and storage sites and helping local councils safely store and collect the increasing volumes of e-waste across Victoria.
The funding will result in 98 per cent of Victorians having reasonable access to drop off facilities, ahead of the Labor Government’s ban on e-waste coming in to effect in July next year.
Councils will be equipped to receive discarded electronics, which will be stripped of components for reprocessing into new technology or sold on the second-hand goods market.
To help residents prepare for the ban, the Labor Government is also providing councils with $790,000 to deliver local education campaigns. Applications will open in November for councils to apply for up to $10,000 in funding.
E-waste can be described as anything with a plug or a battery that is at the end of its useful life. It includes everything from old mobile phones, computers, audio devices, refrigerators and other white goods, hair dryers, TVs, heaters, and air-conditioners.
The amount of e-waste generated in Victoria is projected to increase from 109,000 tonnes in 2015 to approximately 256,000 tonnes in 2035.
The upgrades will ensure 98 per cent of Victorians in metropolitan areas will be within a 20-minute drive of an e-waste disposal point, and 98 per cent of Victorians in regional areas will be within a 30-minute drive of an e-waste disposal point.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“This funding will ensure Victoria has one of best e-waste collection infrastructure networks in the country.”
“We’re delivering on our promise to maximise recycling and minimise the damage e-waste has on our environment.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020