Media release
14 July 2009
eDay 2009 offers the chance to safely
dispose of e-waste
Computer Access New Zealand (CANZ) has announced another eDay (free computer recycling day),
for 12 September 2009, with the aim of diverting over 1,000 tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) from
landfills in up to 40 regions, including Whakatane, Rotorua and Tauranga – an increase from the 31
regions that participated in 2008.
e-waste is the fastest growing waste problem globally and New Zealand is no exception; over 87,000
computer related items were diverted from landfills at last year’s e-Day, including 29 tonnes of e-waste
locally.
Now in its third year, the annual eDay event is the only nationwide community e-waste recycling event
for disposing of computer items and mobile phones in an environmentally sustainable way, at no cost
to the public.
“The passing into legislation of the Waste Minimisation Act in September 2008 was an important step
forward in developing a long-term sustainable solution but it could take another three years before ewaste schemes are fully operational. We are pleased to announce another eDay to ensure that
hazardous and scarce materials are not buried in our landfills in the interim,” said Laurence Zwimpfer,
Chairperson of CANZ and organiser of the eDay event.
Securing funding for eDay is the biggest challenge for CANZ, a not-for-profit trust, in the current
economic climate. The programme relies on support from a wide range of partners including computer
manufacturers and distributors, businesses, community trusts, local authorities and central
Government. Mr Zwimpfer says we all have a responsibility to help protect our environment and
welcomes further support.
“There are real costs involved in collecting and safely recycling e-waste and we rely 100% on
sponsorship and volunteers, hence we’d welcome support from anyone willing to help us ensure that
our old computers are properly recycled. This means that scarce and valuable materials can be reused
rather than buried in our landfills,” he says.
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National transport operator KiwiRail and international e-waste recycler, CRTNZ, are again confirmed
as national partners for 2009. “We are delighted that both these partners who helped us in 2008 are
willing to provide support again. KiwiRail is providing a sustainable transport option for freighting ewaste to central points and, after evaluating a number of proposals, CRTNZ was selected to provide
logistics and recycling support,” said Mr Zwimpfer.
Corporate support is being led by Meridian Energy. Other confirmed corporate supporters include
More FM, Dell, Canon, Printlink, The Laptop Company, Trade Me, InternetNZ, Chorus, and NZICT.
The Rotorua event is also being supported locally by Environment Bay of Plenty, Rotorua District
Council, Chevron New Zealand, ICT Trust and the Millennium Hotel Rotorua.
The Tauranga event is also being supported locally by CPG New Zealand Ltd, Environment Bay of
Plenty, Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay Park and the Bake Shack.
The Whakatane event is also being supported locally by, Opus Consultants Ltd , Environment Bay of
Plenty, Whakatane District Council, Eastpak Limited, Horizon Energy and Industrial Traders.
A key component of the eDay programme is School eDay which will again be taking place this year.
School eDay is being supported at the national level by Equico and the Ministry of Education. School
eDay enables schools to safely dispose of unused computer equipment while teaching students about
the benefits of recycling and the risks of disposing of e-waste in landfills. In 2008, 20% of the total ewaste collected (nearly 200 tonnes) came from schools and a similar amount is expected this year
As well as e-waste disposal information, all schools will be provided with educational posters and a
downloadable schools’ kit that contains fun activities for students to learn about sustainable e-waste
disposal and IT energy conservation. With the support of the Microsoft NZ Partners in Learning
Programme and NTICED, an Australian educational software developer, the kit will include a new
activity utilising the animation software MARVIN and eDay’s e-Waste Eddie character.
eDay and School eDay give people the chance to dispose of their old computer equipment and mobile
phones quickly in an environmentally-friendly way, and are aimed at raising awareness about the
importance of recovering and reusing valuable metals (copper, aluminium) and other materials
(plastics, glass) as well as the environmental and health dangers of dumping e-waste in landfills.
Event updates will be posted on the eDay website, www.eday.org.nz, as venue details and school
drop-off centres are confirmed. Volunteers wishing to help out at an eDay in their area are invited to
sign-up online at the eDay website.
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CANZ and eDay are initiatives of the 2020 Communications Trust. The 2020 Communications Trust
has been supporting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in communities
throughout New Zealand for more than 12 years.
/ends
For further information about eDay 2009 please contact:
Annabelle Ellis, Ph 0800 386 288 extn 8151, annabell.ellis@envbop.govt.nz
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