Phone Recycling Encouraged In Support Of NZ’s Eday

Telecom’s Jason Foden with some of the 110,000kgs of phones that have been recycled in the last year.

Media Release

3 October 2008

Telecom Encourages Phone Recycling In Support Of New Zealand’s Eday

Telecom is calling on all New Zealanders to turn in their old cell phones and accessories as part of New Zealand’s eDay on Saturday 4 October. eDay is a community initiative which aims to drastically cut the amount of unwanted electronic equipment being dumped in New Zealand’s landfills.

Around the world, e-waste is becoming a major headache for those responsible for its disposal. The almost continuous technical and design advances in computers, cell phones, televisions and other devices are causing exponential growth in the quantity of e-waste.

“We have an agreement with international de-manufacturer and recycling company AER Worldwide that sees Kiwis’ unwanted mobile and fixed line phones, chargers, and modems reincarnated in a whole range of new forms”, says Jason Foden, Telecom’s Head of Mobile Products.

During the 2006-2007 financial year, Telecom collected about 90,000 phones, chargers, and modems. Many more were either slipped into the rubbish, or shoved into a drawer and forgotten about – something Telecom is keen to change.

The agreement with AER Worldwide is part of Telecom’s overall plan to eliminate all electronic waste to landfill; Telecom is also working on a number of initiatives to cut office waste, which had seen the company reduce the amount of residue waste per person by two-thirds.

eDay 2008 is to be held in over 30 centres across the country on the 4th and 5th of October. For more information on eDay, visit www.eday.org.nz

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