Together with Shoalhaven Recycling and JJ Richards, Council is holding the free Computer Collection Day on Sunday at the car park, off Bott Drive, Bellmabi, between 9.30am and 3.30pm.
Council’s Manager of Environment and Recreation, Lisa Miller, said with computer waste growing three times faster than household waste in Australia, Council has been exploring safe and economical ways to collect and recycle e-waste in Wollongong.
“If not disposed of properly, e-waste can be very harmful to the environment. Many people may not be aware that computer monitors and screens contain a high level of lead content,” Lisa Miller said.
“Keyboards, printers, scanners, printed circuit boards and hard drives can also contain a range of dangerous chemicals. While these materials pose no threat when contained in equipment, if they’re disposed in landfill, they can eventually leach into nearby waterways and cause damage.”
“The good news is the metals used in computers can be recycled into new products. Precious metals such as lead, aluminium, nickel, mercury, cadium and lithium are separated and can be recycled again and again,” she added.
Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the collection and drop off residential qualities of; laptops, computer mice, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, computer power supplies, printed circuit boards, motherboards, network cards, disk and CD drives, mobile phones, cables and cartridges.
Council advises the Computer Collection Day does not include; televisions, videos, hi-fi equipment, play stations, joy sticks, electronic games, software, digital cameras and electronic equipment.
For more information on the Chemical Collection Day, residents can call Council’s Environment team on 4227 7105.
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