It is estimated that around 18 million waste tyres are generated in Australia each year. The disposal or re-use of waste tyres varies greatly between States and Territories but overall nationally, it is estimated that about 57% of waste tyres go to landfill and 13% are disposed of inappropriately through illegal dumping.

Apart from the costs to the community and Governments through littering our landscapes and waterways and taking up scarce landfill space, waste tyres are a source of health and environmental concerns: fires in stockpiles can release toxic gases and pollute waterways and tyre stockpiles provide breeding habitats for mosquitoes. Tyres going to landfill or being dumped are also a lost opportunity; waste tyres are a potentially valuable resource with various re-use, recycling and waste to energy options.

If you have tyres to dispose of the best thing to do is to find an outlet in your area that will recycle them.

• Reclaim (Aus wide) call them to discuss on 1800 685 454 www.reclaim.com.au
• Tyre Crumb Australia (VIC) Phone: 03 9357 3433 sales@tyrecrumbaustralia.com
• C and N Ruggiero (VIC) Phone 03 9314 8833 www.cnruggiero.com.au

E-waste is a major environmental problem - tons of resources, along with hazardous metals, are sent to landfill every year.  Here are nine reasons why eWaste recycling matters:

1. Each year 750,000 computers are sold in Victoria (3 million Australia-wide).
2. 560,000 computers in Victoria are redundant each year.  Three out of four used computers in Australia are dumped in landfill or stockpiled.
3. 182,875 are dumped in landfill each year in Victoria (731,500 in Australia).
4. In 10 years 1.77 million computers will be redundant each year.
5. The ACT is the only place that bans computer waste to landfill.
6. In five years, 30 countries will have take-back laws for electronics (Australia has no law).
7. Making one desktop computer and monitor uses the same amount of chemicals (22kg), water (1500kg) and fossil fuels (240kg) as a mid-size car.
8. The biggest computer users are small and medium businesses (28%); followed by large corporates (23%); government (18%); households (17%) and education (14%).
9. In just over a decade, the number of personal computers worldwide increased fivefold—from 105 million in 1988 to more than half a billion in 2002.

What to do with your used computer?  Computers contain a variety of toxic materials that make disposal hazardous to the environment. Until manufacturers take financial and logistical responsibility for the end-of-life of their products, consumers should be aware of current disposal options.

A typical computer monitor contains lead, barium and hexavalent chromium. Other toxic ingredients include cadmium in chip resistors and semiconductors, beryllium on motherboards and connectors, and brominated flame retardants in plastic casings. 70% of lead, cadmium and mercury in landfill comes from electronic waste.

RECYCLE OR REFURBISH IT!

1. Support Byteback: the first computer take back service of its kind in Australia. Byteback is a free service for residents and small business owners in Victoria who want to dispose of their old computers in an environmentally responsible way. The centre is located in the City of Boroondara.
2. Make use of purchasing power. Buy or lease a new computer only if needed and choose the most environmentally sound option - for example, look for labels indicating the machine is energy efficient.
3. Don’t throw away old electronics. Contact manufacturers that take back old computers – such as Dell – Ring them for a quote on pick up. Urge manufacturers to dispose products responsibly.
4. Ultimately you can make a difference by writing to your Federal or State Environment Minister or local member urging them to take action to bring Australia into line with the new international standard of producer responsibility.

For more ideas and further information visit Environment Victoria at http://www.envict.org.au/index.php

Tasmanians generate approximately one tone of waste per person annually, so if we are not doing our bit to help the environment you can only imagine the amount of waste we will collate over the next ten years.

One way to reduce the quantity of rubbish we dump into our landfills is to recycle. By transforming waste materials into useable resources, recycling reduces landfill and conserves resources, provides a way to manage solid waste while reducing pollution, conserves energy, creates jobs and builds more competitive manufacturing industries.

Check out your pile of junk….some of the things that can be recycled include the following items:

• Clean dry clothing and material
• Car batteries without cracks
• Newspapers, brochures and magazines
• Milk, cream and juice cartons
• Cleaned glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum and steel cans
• PET, HDPE and PVC plastic
• Non waxed or plastic coated cardboard

Use the addresses below to find your local council and see where the nearest recycling facility is located.

Break O’Day - www.bodc.tas.gov.au
Brighton - www.brighton.tas.gov.au
Burnie - www.burnie.net
Central Coast - www.centcoast.tas.gov.au
Central Highlands - www.centralhighlands.tas.gov.au
Circular Head - www.circularhead.tas.gov.au
Clarence City - www.ccc.tas.gov.au
Derwent Valley - www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au
Devonport City - www.dcc.tas.gov.au
Dorset - www.dorset.tas.gov.au
Flinders - www.flinders.tas.gov.au
George Town - www.georgetown.tas.gov.au
Glamorgan Spring Bay - www.gsbc.tas.gov.au
Glenorchy City - www.gcc.tas.gov.au
Hobart City - www.hobartcity.com.au
Huon Valley - www.huonvalley.tas.gov.au
Kentish - www.kentish.tas.gov.au
Kingborough - www.kingborough.tas.gov.au
King Island - www.kingisland.tas.gov.au
Latrobe - www.latrobe.tas.gov.au
Launceston - www.launceston.tas.gov.au
Meander Valley - www.meander.tas.gov.au
Northern Midlands - www.northernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Sorell - www.sorell.tas.gov.au
Southern Midlands - www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Tasman - www.tasman.tas.gov.au
Waratah Wynyard - www.warwyn.tas.gov.au
West Coast - www.westcoast.tas.gov.au
West Tamar - www.wtc.tas.gov.au
Tasmania Central Portal - www.tasmaniacentral.tas.gov.au

Some waste can’t be disposed of in Skip Bins…so where do you put it? Recycling is the option!

Electronic Waste: Sims E-Recycling Braeside (03) 8586 7777

Computers: Com.IT Computer Recycling (Refurbished and donated to charity) (03) 9416 2604 www.com-it.net.au

Or Australian Computer Recyclers 1300 727 787 www.pcrecyclers.net

Ink Cartridges: GreenWorld Mulgrave (03) 9545 0700 www.greenworld.com

Mobile Phones: Clean Up Australia (Recycled or resold in developing countries) 1800 282 329 www.cleanup.com.au

Please contact us if you are looking for further info and hopefully we can help point you in the right direction!