Ahead of the upcoming ban on e-waste in any bin or landfill site which comes into effect on July 1 this year, East Gippsland Shire Council is extending its free disposal facilities across the region at designated facilities.
E-waste refers to any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted. It covers a whole range of items such as computers, mobile phones, microwaves, printers, televisions, hair dryers, heaters and gaming consoles. From July 1, these items can no longer be placed in kerbside bins and instead must go to a designated e-waste drop-off point.
All e-waste is free to dispose of at designated e-waste drop-off points before the end of June. There will be a cost associated for e-waste disposal after July 1, and items will need to be dropped off at the nearest transfer station collection bin rather than in your red-lidded kerbside bin.
However, some of the most popular e-waste items will remain free to dispose of including TVs and computers (at Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance transfer stations) under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) and whitegoods and small household batteries will continue to be free at all transfer stations (not just designated e-waste sites).
With their increasing popularity as an energy efficient alternative to incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights are becoming one of the most common types of e-waste. The free disposal of fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lights (CFL) has, up till now, only been available at Bairnsdale. This has been extended to all designated e-waste drop-off points located at:
● Bairnsdale: 200 Johnstons Road, Forge Creek
● Orbost: 351 Bonang Road
● Bruthen: 109 Great Alpine Road
● Omeo: 18 Margetts Street
● Mallacoota: Betka Road
● Lakes Entrance: 5 Thorpes Lane
By recycling your unbroken fluorescent lights you are diverting them from landfill, reducing the cost of waste management to council, increasing the recovery of valuable resources and reducing the risk to the environment and human health.
