Recycle your old TV at a drop-off near you

Auckland and the rest of the north of North Island went digital 1 December - but that doesn’t mean your old TV goes into landfill.

Old televisions can be safely recycled through TV Takeback, a subsidised government-led television recycling programme now running across the Auckland region.

For a small charge of no more than $5, residents can take their old televisions to local drop-off points. Auckland Council has partnered with specialist e-waste recyclers RCN to provide 15 locations around the region.

Recycling old televisions rather than sending them to landfill allows useful materials to be recovered, and potentially hazardous materials safely recycled or disposed of.

To date, 4188 Auckland televisions have been recycled.

“Aucklanders can dispose of their old televisions safely, cheaply and conveniently by using TV Takeback provided by Auckland Council,” says Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse.

Old televisions contain recyclable materials like glass, metals and plastics, as well as hazardous substances such as lead, and in older models, barium, which can harm the environment.

Going digital on 1 December 2013, marked the final phase of the nationwide move from analogue to digital television broadcasting. The switch has been staggered during the past 14 months, with residents in the South Island and lower North Island already watching digital television.

The TV Takeback programme was well-supported in these regions, and more than 140,000 old televisions have been recycled so far.

“Recycling TVs is important because hundreds of thousands of TVs in New Zealand are nearing the end of their lives,” says Minister for the Environment Amy Adams.
“As the country goes digital, some New Zealanders will use the opportunity to upgrade their TV so it is important that any unwanted TVs are recycled responsibly.”

TV Takeback is funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund. It provides a network of e-waste recyclers and a subsidy for residents to dispose of their old televisions in an easy low-cost way that aligns with Auckland Council’s objective to divert waste from landfill.

RCN General Manager Jon Thornhill says old televisions contain small amounts of materials that are in short supply internationally such as copper, nickel, tin, phosphorous and precious metals.

“It makes sense to mine the old electronic equipment we discard for these resources rather than mine for virgin materials. Responsible recycling of electronic waste comes at a cost, but the cost of not doing so has greater impacts on our environment.”

For more information or to find your nearest RCN drop-off point visit www.tvtakeback.govt.nz

ENDS

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