WE WON!!!

MEDIA RELEASE
The Hon Peter Garrett MP
Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts

Mr Garrett said … “ministers today agreed to a groundbreaking product stewardship framework through which computers and televisions will be the first products regulated.’’

In 2007-08, 16.8 million televisions, computers and computer products reached their end of life, with 84 per cent sent to landfill. Only 10 per cent were recycled.

“If Australia were to continue without any form of product stewardship scheme, projections suggest that approximately 44 million televisions and computers would be discarded in 2028.

“Backed by Commonwealth legislation, a new industry-run national collection and recycling scheme for this growing mountain of electronic waste will be up and running in or before 2011.

“This is a major development in one of our fastest growing areas of waste which sees for the first time computer and television manufacturers taking national responsibility for managing e-waste, and it will be done at minimal cost to consumers,” Mr Garrett said.

“The National Waste policy specifically provides for accreditation of industry led schemes, helping to strengthen the arm of industry leaders who want to drive action that sees manufacturers take responsibility for their products when they reach the end of their life.

“Computer and television importers and manufacturers are working with Government to take responsibility for their goods, from cradle to grave.’’

The Government will provide support to the industry-led collection and recycling scheme by ensuring industry non-participants comply with the same standards as industry members voluntarily participating.

This will ensure that free-riders are unable to gain a financial advantage over those companies that willingly contribute to recycling their own products.

Under the new product stewardship framework there is provision for mandatory, voluntary and coregulatory schemes. Industry and community organisations that run voluntary schemes will be able to gain accreditation so that the community knows that what they recycle through these schemes will be reused or recycled in an ethical and environmentally safe way.

Over to you, Peter.

Environment Victoria has released a postcard today. It’s reminding Federal Government that there’s nothing to stop them introducing a national television and computer recycling scheme.

Dear Mr Garrett

I want the Australian Government to introduce a national recycling program for old TVs and computers.

At the moment, nearly 15 million old TVs and computers go to landfill each year.

Recycling this electronic waste would create jobs, recover valuable material and stop toxic chemicals going to landfill.

Industry, green groups and the community all agree that recycling electronic waste is a good idea.

So, Peter, it’s over to you.

Environment ministers are meeting (on the 5th of) November 2009 to make a decision. I want you to do the right thing.

Regards

Aussie citizen

Send this as an eCard.

234 million items of e‐waste

The Total Environment Centre and Environment Victoria have today released a report showing that Australia’s e-waste problem is worse than ever. But, it also shows that over 5,100 new jobs could be created if Australia achived a 70% recycling rate for all e-waste.

Download the report.

Executive Summary

The Problem
- There will be 234 million items of e‐waste in or on their way to landfill by the end of 2009.
- Without the introduction of an e‐waste recycling program the amount of e‐waste in Australian landfills will treble by 2020 and be close to 700 million items.
- The 4.5 million assembled PCs and laptops sold in 2007/08 amount to 6.3 million tonnes of embodied greenhouse gas emissions.
- 484,000 tonnes of potentially avoided greenhouse gas emissions were lost in 2007/08 when 88,000 tonnes of televisions and computers were dumped in landfill.

The Solution
- A national recycling scheme for televisions and computers, administered by the federal government, should begin on 1 July 2010.
- This scheme should be expanded to include all other e‐waste in subsequent years.
- A national recycling scheme for all e‐waste would create 5,100 new jobs by 2015. This includes 1,440 direct jobs in the recycling of e‐waste, and another 3,660 indirect jobs.

After a decade of talking the scheme is now only a step away.

After a run of embarrassing back-downs, compromises and half-measures, the Rudd Government and Environment Minister Peter Garrett are in desperate need for a good news story on the environment. This November’s Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) meeting might just deliver them such a story: the national recycling scheme for televisions and computers.

Jane Castle
Environmental Managment News
28 September 2009

After a decade of talking the scheme is now only a step away. The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on Televisions and Computers has provided important new data and a solid foundation for state and federal environment ministers to fulfill their promise by announcing the scheme on November 5.

The ducks are lining up. Net benefits for the scheme are $517 million to $742 million; consumers are willing to pay $30 to $50 per item for a 90% recovery rate; actual costs will be a fraction of this according to industry; and recyclers, manufacturers, environment groups and local government agree the customs import model is the best option.

Now it’s about the politics. A recent trip to Canberra by Total Environment Centre and Environment Victoria revealed overwhelming support for the scheme, with every MP asking how they could help move it forward. There are three final hurdles.

One, can Garrett muster the support of his cabinet colleagues to ensure a Federal Government administered scheme? Can he be confident of this support ahead of the EPHC meeting so that he can commit on the day?

Two, will state environment ministers, in particular Gavin Jennings (Vic) and John Robertson (NSW), have the guts to come out and publicly support the scheme prior to the EPHC meeting? The alternative is they sit on the fence in silence leaving Garrett to hang out to dry on the day.

And three, will federal and NSW bureaucrats, the engine room of the scheme, have the common sense to recommend the customs import model favoured by the RIS and the majority of stakeholders? Will Brendan O’Connor (Minister for Home Affairs) show support ahead of the EPHC meeting to allay their fears of having to deal with Customs?

Then there is the x-factor. This is the space in which all and any spooks are dragged out of the cupboard by the anti-recycling lobby. In public forums, this dwindling bunch is sounding increasingly shrill in the wake of manufacturers, recyclers, community and government who want to move forward with a sensible, economically beneficial win-win scheme.

It is likely that ‘cost’ will be dragged around again to try to scare environment ministers into backing down. However the public has spoken: in the face of booming demand for bigger and brighter televisions, consumers are happy to pay a little to be part of the cleaner, smarter recycling society.

Jane Castle is a senior campaigner with TEC

Landfill ban for (some) e-waste

Local councils hope to force a national recycling strategy, writes Lia Timson.

Four Sydney councils have banned the dumping of electronic waste from next January in a bid to force the federal and state governments to implement a national recycling scheme.

Mosman, Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Councils, responsible for all of Sydney’s northern beaches, resolved to enact the ban ahead of a national e-waste policy expected to be announced in November.

Green Groups and Industry agree on the scheme

Green groups and industry have declared their joint support for the creation a national televisions and computer recycling scheme to be run by the Federal Government.

In response to proposals in a ‘regulatory impact statement’, Environment Victoria (EV), the Total Environment Centre (TEC), e-waste recyclers MRI and Sims, and Product Stewardship Australia (PSA), a not-for-profit industry body representing major televisions brands have all called for the Federal Government scheme, that would include products imported into Australia.

After many years of deliberation the Federal Government needs to honour their commitment to resolve this issue when environment ministers meet later this year.

E-waste on Triple J’s HACK

See the Total Environment Centre’s Jane Castle in this great little piece about the need for government action on e-waste in Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/media/s2658408.htm

Here’s what we’ve had to say

We’ve been toiling away on our submission to the consultation regulatory impact statement on televisions and computers. This is the process that government is going through to decide what sort of recycling scheme to introduce for televisions and computers.

If you’re interested, check out our submission here. We’ve posted under the banner of the Boomerang Alliance, which is a coalition of environment groups working on waste related issues.

And if you agree with what we’ve had to say, please let the government know. The more people supporting our submission, the more likely we are to get a scheme that will work. Send your comments to:
Ms Monina Gilbey
Project Officer
NEPC Service Corporation
Level 5, 81 Flinders Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8419 1200
Facsimile: (08) 8224 0912
Email: mgilbey@ephc.gov.au

Now’s the time to have your say

TV and Computer Product Stewardship Consultation Period

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is currently calling for submissions on the  Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement: Televisions and Computers.

To complete a submission visit their site here -

http://www.ephc.gov.au/taxonomy/term/51

All documentation can be found at the bottom of this page link.

Submissions close at COB Thursday 13th August.

Reborn will be posting suggested submission content soon.

Ministers make progress on e-waste

Australia is a step closer to a national e-waste recycling scheme following the meeting of state and federal environment ministers in Hobart last Friday.

The 18th meeting of the Environment Protection & Heritage Council (EPHC) in Tasmania resolved to finalise industry schemes for computers and TVs by its next meeting in November 2009.

“This is a change from the years of inaction, but there’s a still long way to go. The ministers have recognised the overwhelming public support for more recycling. Supporters of electronic recycling who have been pressing for national regulation will have to work hard in the next six months to get the best result,” said Jeff Angel Director of Total Environment Centre.

Environment Victoria’s Production and Consumption Campaigner Fraser Brindley supported today’s decisions. “While there hasn’t been any final resolution today, Ministers have shown a willingness for progress that has been absent in recent years” said Mr Brindley. “We look forward to some concrete decisions by the end of the year so that Australia can take advantage of the green jobs opportunities available in recycling.”

“We will be mobilising the full resources of the Boomerang Alliance and community’s support for recycling to ensure this unique opportunity is not squandered.” said Dave West National Campaign Coordinator for the Boomerang Alliance.

So, good news but it’s no certainty, and it’s only televisions and computers. That’s why we need you to keep up the pressure. Email Peter Garrett and your state’s environment minister and let them know that they’ve on the right track but that we need the right decision this November.

References:
Communiqué, Environment Protection & Heritage Council Meeting, 22 May 2009.