Local government is invited to comment on a new proposal by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for regulating waste from small electronics and solar photovoltaic systems (or e‑products).
The latest statistics show each Australian produced an average of 20kg of e-waste in 2019 compared with the global average of 7kg. Australia’s e‑waste generation is also projected to rise by nearly 30 per cent by 2030.
Australia only recovers about a third of the total value of e-waste materials we generate, meaning around $430 million worth of materials, within e-waste, is sent to landfill.
The proposed regulation would keep waste out of landfill by reducing waste materials in production cycles – and will also help Australia reach its 80 per cent resource recovery rate for all waste streams by 2030 under the National Waste Policy Action Plan.
The deadline for feedback is 23 July at the Have Your Say page.
You can also join the 11 July webinar to hear more about the scheme. Register here.