TechCollect prepares for Waste Not, Want NotDay

WasteSorted

TechCollect is calling on all Australian businesses to help reduce electronic waste to landfill ahead of its annual Waste Not, Want NotDay on 13 December.

Carmel Dollisson, Chief Executive Officer of TechCollect, a national, not-for-profit industry-funded, e-waste recycling service, free to households and small business, said it’s crucial business owners ensure responsible waste management practices are in place not only for the environment, but to meet changing employee and customer expectations around this important issue.

“With Waste Not, Want Not Day approaching, we encourage all businesses and employees to mark 13 December in the calendar, get their old electronic devices out of the cupboard or company storerooms, and ensure they’re responsibly recycled,” she said.

“TechCollect ensures that at least 90 per cent of the valuable resources in those devices are put back into the manufacturing process to be reused in new products, a far better outcome for the environment then creating new products from virgin materials.”

The 2013 Green Pulse Report, prepared for Planet Ark, highlights how workers and the public are embracing organisations who take recycling seriously, with 82 per cent of employees wanting to see more e-waste recycling in their workplaces.

Additionally, three out of four businesses agree that good waste management improves public perception of the business, according to a 2013 study, A behavioural study in the food & beverage sector to identify barriers to waste minimisation.

“Businesses who put sustainability at the top of their agenda report higher recruitment and staff retention rates, and an overall increase in employee engagement and productivity,” Ms Dollisson said.

“While there are many businesses doing a good job at recycling other items such as cardboard and paper, there is much more work to be done in the corporate sector in electronic waste recycling. We need to create an environment in which responsibilities are more evenly shared, encouraging businesses to become active players in the management and recycling of the electronic waste they’re responsible for, which will also encourage their employees to do the same at home.”

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