E-waste news stories

Australians are lovers of technology - we purchase more than 4 million computers and 3 million TVs every year. As technology advances, the lives of our devices keep getting shorter.

SOTI research finds 72% of IT leaders in Australian corporations think devices are being disposed of unnecessarily, despite many having sustainability targets.

Computer Recycling launches e-waste shredder and MSS optical sorting machine BLUBOX, which is able to sort out a tonne of e-waste per hour

There is a link between enterprise data security and sustainability, according to a new report from Blancco Technology Group.

In one million phones there could be 24 kilograms of gold, 16,000 kilograms of copper, 350 kilograms of silver, and 14 kilograms of palladium. When devices aren’t recycled, all of this material goes to waste.

“With International E-Waste Day we hope that more people will understand that it is important to reuse, repair, resell, or dispose of their used products responsibly.”

"The digital divide continues to widen. We need to reverse this trend and advance the circular economy by keeping equipment in life for as long as possible."

What if there was a way to extend the lifespan of products before they end up in landfill? Device repairability seems like a logical step.

E-waste is a global concern, and is quickly becoming a crisis of its own, the researchers state. In fact, more than 53 million metric tons of e-waste was produced in 2019.

The Ministry for the Environment today granted the not-for-profit organisation funding to bolster its work in collecting and recycling e-waste around New Zealand.

e-Waste is the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fueled by consumption rates of equipment, short life cycles, and few options for repair.

“People lament the fact that things aren’t repairable, and that things don’t seem to last as long as they used to, and they’re right."

“In today’s global climate, sustainability should be at the heart of every business’ strategy. Yet, it’s clear from our research that organisations globally are not doing enough."

The survey in the report, which quizzed almost 2,000 senior executives in global enterprises with over 5,000 employees, found that only a quarter of end-of-life equipment is being sanitised and reused, despite 83% of organisations having a Corporate Social Responsibility policy in place.

The ICT industry should work towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 45% in the next 10 years, in order to comply with the Paris Agreement.

Apple says it’s ‘protecting the planet’s resources’ and expanding educational opportunities for workers who assemble Apple products.

“Through This is IT, we want to help people better understand the problem of today’s linear “take, make, dispose” thinking around IT products and its effects like e-waste, pollution and climate change."

Google's Sustainability Officer believes major changes are critical in data centres to emulate the cyclical life of nature.

E-waste is a hot topic in tech circles, and Park Place's EMEA MD believes there could be huge opportunities if data centres and enterprises improve their practices.

New online portal makes it easy for resellers to source better value for end-users, reduce e-waste.

Following the Rubicon investment, around 2% of the NZ Super Fund is invested in expansion capital investments.

Currently, only 12.5% of e-waste is recycled into other products.

“E-waste management is an urgent issue in today’s digitally dependent world, where use of electronic devices is ever increasing."

In 2016 the NZ Child Poverty Monitor reported that 48,000 children in New Zealand were living in material hardship, often going without life’s basics.