Hon Amy Adams
Minister for the Environment

31 October 2012 Media Statement
Great response to TV recycling programme

More than 16,000 televisions have been dropped off for recycling in the first month of the Government’s TV Takeback programme, Environment Minister Amy Adams says.

With Hawke's Bay and the West Coast the first regions to make the switch to digital television, they are the first involved in the programme.

More than 15,000 televisions have been dropped off for recycling in Hawke’s Bay and 1200 on the West Coast.

The programme will be rolled out around the rest of New Zealand to coincide with the digital switch over in each region.

The TV TakeBack programme aims to divert up to 500,000 televisions from going to landfill in an initiative that involves the Government partnering with a range of recyclers and retailers to provide a nationwide network of subsidised options.

“I am delighted with the initial response to the programme. It shows that people are keen to play their part in caring for the environment by making sure their unwanted televisions are recycled,” Ms Adams says.

“The commitment in Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast has already diverted more than 300 tonnes of waste from landfill that will now be safely recycled and reused.”

The programme also raises investment in New Zealand’s recycling capacity and will lay the foundation for a more permanent solution for electronic waste.

“A greater understanding of the need and how to recycle unwanted televisions and other electronic waste is essential.

“Televisions pose a threat to the environment if they are disposed of in landfills or dumped elsewhere, so the Government wants to make sure all New Zealanders can access affordable electronic recycling services.”

The initiative is being funded via the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund. Money for the Fund comes from a waste levy charged on material disposed of at landfills.

For more information about the programme go to: www.tvtakeback.govt.nz.

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