Expo to zoom in on Australia’s e-scrap challenge

Australia – The upcoming Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo 2015 will be calling on the expertise of national e-scrap industry leaders to help attendees combat the growing problem of used electronics disposal. With Australians being early technology adopters but significantly lagging with regard to e-scrap regulation, managing the ever-growing e-scrap mountain has become a major challenge.

Australia is claimed to be a frontrunner in mobile phone disposal through programmes such as MobileMuster, while the recent raising of the target of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme to 50% is said to be a step in the right direction. But a significant challenge remains, experts claim.

‘Australia still has many electronic products that are not covered by any legislation and lags behind many other developed countries in terms of how wide-reaching the recycling schemes through the manufacturers of electronic products are, stresses John Gertsakis of recycling consultancy Ecoactiv, who will head a panel discussion at the expo on the future of e-scrap recycling.

‘Do we legislate to enforce businesses to be more proactive? Do we educate and hope businesses do the right thing? Will bans on e-waste in landfill – like the Victorian government is considering – result in greater recycling or increased illegal dumping? Questions such as these need to be addressed.’

The Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo 2015 will be held on August 12-13 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.