Australia should establish a national e-waste collection and processing strategy to ensure that the toxic chemicals in electronic devices do not leach into waterways, Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Lead Senate Candidate for Queensland said in Brisbane today.
"In the disposable society of the 21st century, people are throwing away old mobile phones, computers, MP3 players and other electronic devices into normal household waste, Ms Waters said.
Ms Waters said electronic devices contain harmful substances including mercury, lead and flame retardants.
"We urgently need to create a safe disposal system to prevent contaminating our precious local waterways. With our growing population and common use of electronics, Australia can no longer allow e-waste to be disposed of in landfill.
"The Australian Greens will take action to:
* Implement a national strategy to ensure e-waste is collected and reprocessed, ensuring individual components of old devices are re-used in the manufacturing of new devices where possible.
* Ensure e-waste is safely disposed of where re-use is impossible.
* Ensure government departments consider ease of reprocessing and environmental impact as part of their purchasing decisions.
"Many of the reusable components are very expensive, so reprocessing is cost-effective, Ms Waters said.
"Manufacturers and distributors of electronic devices, especially those which are frequently replaced such as mobile phones, should take responsibility for used items, reprocess as much as possible, and safely dispose of the remaining components.
"Educating consumers about reprocessing and safe disposal at sales outlets is also important. People want to minimise waste and protect our waterways, they just need to know how, concluded Ms Waters.
Users' Comments
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Important but easily forgotten
By: zoren (Registered ) on 28-09-2007 05:42
Good story.
With climate change issues related to use of motor vehicles and electricity consumption placed so prominently in the media, its easy to forget about issues like this.
We need to not only dispose of these items more responsibly but also look at getting more mileage out of them in the first place. Computers can so easily have components replaced rather than being thrown out and I think mobile phones are being discarded much too prematurely because they have become a fashion accessory rather than a practical item.
Futher to this excellent article by Larissa, I would like to know how many broken fire detectors have gone into land fill. With them being compulsory in every household up here in Queensland, I wonder where the broken ones go? They are nuclear waste - these poisons will be around for thousands of generations! visit:http://www.mcmua.com/
HazardousWaste/
FAQ_Smoke_Detectors.htm http://www.co.contra-
costa.ca.us/depart/cd/recycle/
options/v5801.htm
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