Recycling e-waste

Find out about e-waste and how to recycle items correctly.

Inforgraphic for e-waste

What is E-waste?

E-waste is any unwanted item with a plug, battery or cord. From your phone to your vacuum cleaner, your laptop to your electric lawnmower, it covers a whole range of household items.  See list of common e-waste items at bottom of this page.

E-waste is one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams. In 2018, almost 50 million tonnes of e-waste was generated worldwide, and Australia is one of the biggest consumers of new electronics.

From July 1 2019 all e-waste is banned from being sent to landfill in Victoria.

Why recycle e-waste?

  • Valuable materials can be recovered for re-use
  • Hazardous chemical elements are kept out of landfill
  • Diverting items saves space for other materials that can only go to landfill

Most e-waste contains hazardous materials, including:

  • Heavy metals such as lead and mercury
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
  • Flame retardants

These materials can leach into groundwater, soil, and air. As they don't readily breakdown,  these substances persist in the environment and work their way through the food chain.

E-waste contains reuseable precious metals, such as:

  • Tin
  • Copper
  • Nickel
  • Silver
  • Zinc
  • Gold
  • Aluminium
  • Platinum

Recycling e-waste in Moorabool

All e-waste items are accepted for free recycling at Council's transfer stations:

Bacchus Marsh

Osborne Street, Maddingley
Hours: 10am – 4pm Friday to Monday
Closed: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 

Ballan

Monteville Lane, Ballan
Hours: 1pm – 5pm Wednesday to Monday
Closed: Tuesday

Mt Egerton

Ballan-Egerton Road, Mt Egerton
Hours: 12pm – 5pm Weekends
Closed: Monday - Friday 

Drop off mobile phones, batteries, light globes and printer cartridges at any of our small e-waste stations:

Lerderderg Library

215 Main Street, Bacchus Marsh 

Darley Council Office

182 Halletts Way Darley

Ballan Council Office

15 Stead Street Ballan

Other options for recycling your e-waste:

  • Recycle up to 5 items of selected e-waste at participating Officeworks. The nearest participating store is Ballarat.
  • AA, AAA, C, D and 9V sized batteries (rechargeable and non-rechargeable) at ALDI stores
  • Mobile Muster has drop-off points in many different stores including phone stores and op-shops. Find a drop-off point near you

Remember, reuse is better than recycling!

Got a working computer you'd like to offer to someone in need?

You could donate, sell or give the items away via options such as a Buy, Swap, Sell site, Gumtree or Facebook groups. Just be sure to securely erase your data first (tips on how to do this). 

Flash Drive is a not-for-profit organisation at 1223 Grevillea Road Wendouree (Ballarat). They accept donations of laptops, computers and tablets that are broken or unwanted. These are refurbished when possible or are otherwise responsibly recycled. 

If you are considering op shops, be sure to check with them before you donate. Not all charities accept electrical or electronic items.

List of common e-waste items:

  • Televisions
  • Computers, keyboards, mice
  • Mobile phones
  • Printers
  • DVD and VHS players
  • Radios and speakers
  • Washing machines and dryers
  • Fridges and freezers
  • Headphones
  • Appliances
  • Power tools
  • Light globes
  • Printer cartridges
  • Vacuum cleaners
  • Batteries
  • Lawn mowers

 

Further information

For more information on what e-waste is, where it goes, and how it is recycled, visit Sustainability Victoria's campaign website or watch the video below.

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