TechCollect will soon be inviting schools across the country to help us win the war on e-waste. After the popularity of the ABC’s War on Waste and its success among the younger demographic, it’s obvious there is public concern for where our e-waste goes, and our biggest ambassadors may be our smallest members of the community.
We are working on a pilot program for e-waste education and recycling in schools which will allow us to reach these waste warriors and educate them on the benefits of e-waste recycling and product stewardship. During the pilot we will work with a range of schools in Victoria to determine the best arrangement for their specific needs, from holding a one-off e-waste collection event to setting them up as a permanent collection site. In all cases we hope that the schools will embrace this as an opportunity to teach the values of sustainability and environmental stewardship within class time.
Last month we exhibited at the National Future Schools Expo, where we met a wide range of interested teachers, principals, IT managers and eLearning coordinators from across the country. It was very encouraging to hear that students are extremely savvy when it comes to recycling, and are aware that the materials in electronics are valuable. Recognising that the delegates of this expo were forward-thinking education professionals, it was great to see that almost all believed their school would be interested in such an initiative. These school representatives also expressed a need to dispose of their own IT equipment, particularly those who were aware of the Victorian e-waste to landfill ban, due to begin on July 1 this year.
This program will not only strengthen our position as a thought leader in our industry, but will align with our broader strategy to reduce costs for our Members by gaining efficiencies from expanding our collection network, and collecting higher quality product such as IT and small accessories (our initial surveys show that there will be smaller amounts of TVs and screens). Additionally the program will provide greater security of collection volumes as the regulatory target continues to increase, and will assist us in reaching our reasonable access requirements under the Scheme.
We hope that as ANZRP Members your brand will also reap the benefits of this program, as we seek to position you as some of the most proactive and engaged players in the IT industry, and advocate for the merits of product stewardship.