Australian E-Waste

As we get closer to the launch of the 2020 iPhones, are you planning to buy the newest iPhone 12? If so, have you ever been thought about how to deal with your old phone? What about all those other electronic devices that are no longer in use? Michelle Richardson dove into the topic of Australian e-waste.

Do you know that Australians are some of the world’s highest consumer of technology, at the same time, e-waste is also one of the fastest growing waste streams in the nation. Even though “Electronic Waste” is no longer a new word to us, many of us still don’t know how it harms our life. E-waste contains a long list of chemicals that are harmful to ourselves and the environment, such as mercury, lead, beryllium, brominated flame retardants and cadmium. When electronics are mishandled, these chemicals end up in our soil, water and air. There is no doubt to say that e-waste is polluting our planet.

Claire Bell, the Recycling Campaigns Manager at Planet Ark Australia, explains that e-waste is not only a giant issue of Australia, but also is a global issue, which is necessary to be aware of by everyone on the planet. The situation is much more negative than we expected, Claire also claims that based on statistic in 2019, there were 554,000 tonnes of e-waste in Australia, while there were only 58 kilotons of recycling of e-waste. The number is shocking and depressing. E-waste includes appliances and electronics that are outdated, unwanted or broken. That means everything from smartphones to discarded refrigerators. Basically, anything that runs on electricity that you decide to throw away. Globally, we only recycle 10 percent of our e-waste, which is both shocking and frustrating. And 90% of what we don’t recycle ends up in landfills, incineration or illegal trading.

According to the information provided by Claire, it is thankfully possible to help improve this situation, Planet Ark encourages people to post their e-wastes. By either searching the e-waste drop-off venue online, or It is also mentioned that people now can post e-waste through any Australian Post box. There are only simple steps to drop off the package: