E-waste

Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, is growing up to three times faster than other types of household waste in Australia.

What is e-waste?

E-waste is any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted. This covers a whole range of items from work, home and even the garden shed, such as mobile phones, computers, televisions, kitchen appliances, power tools and toys.

E-waste ban

The Victorian Government banned e-waste from landfills in July 2019. This means e-waste cannot be placed in your household garbage bin.

E-waste can contain hazardous materials that can leach into the soil and groundwater, or be released into the air, causing long term environmental damage and harm to human health. Electronic goods also contain valuable materials that can be recovered for recycling.

A complete list of items covered by the ban and how to recycle them is available on the Sustainability Victoria website. 

Repair your e-waste

Before recycling or donating it, consider whether you can get it repaired. Keeping goods circulating keeps them out of landfills or recycling plants.

If your item needs repairing, Brunswick Tool Library may be able to assist through their monthly Repair Cafes. You can take items in to have them repaired or learn how to repair them yourself. Items must be able to be carried in. Find more information and event dates on the Brunswick Tool Library website.

Donate your e-waste

Some charities will accept electrical items in good condition. Contact your local store to check first, and drop off any items during store opening hours.

The Reconnect Project

A charity that aims to close the digital divide, by providing refurbished mobile devices to people in need. Find out how and where to donate your phone, tablet or laptop on the Reconnect Project website.

GleeGivers

A social enterprise, GleeGivers, will take unwanted computers (working or not) and refurbish them for vulnerable members of the community. Find out how and where to donate your computer on the GleeGivers website.

RIMERN

Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief (RIMERN) provides furniture, appliances and homewares to welfare agency clients who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, incarceration, refugee displacement and other crises. Items must be clean and in good working order. You can find out more information on the RIMERN website or email donatedgoods@rimern.org.au to offer donations. 

Recycle your e-waste

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme  (NTCRS) ensures that manufacturers and importers of televisions and computers into Australia pay for the end-of-life recycling of these products. This means that you can drop-off your television or computer for recycling for free.

The nearest drop off location is Harvey Norman, 121 Bell Street, Preston. Items accepted through the NTCRS include:

  • Laptops
  • Desktop computers
  • Monitors
  • Keyboards, mice and computer accessories
  • Televisions
  • Printers and scanners

Booked Hard Waste

You can also recycle your e-waste (any item with a plug, battery or cord) through the hard waste collection service. Simply book a collection and the weekend before your collection date, place your e-waste on the kerbside (in a separate pile) for recycling. You can find out more about this service on our Hard Waste Collection page.

Recycling Stations

You can drop off a range of small e-waste items at our yellow recycling stations for free at our Coburg, Brunswick and Glenroy Customer Service Centres. You can find out more about this recycling service on our Waste and recycling locations page. Items accepted at our recycling stations include:

  • Mobile phones and chargers
  • Digital cameras 
  • Vapes / e-cigarettes

Specialist recyclers

Some e-waste cannot be recycled through a Council service, for example solar panels, e-scooters and lithium batteries. These items need to be taken to a recycling specialist who will generally charge per kilogram, depending on the type of e-waste or battery. We recommend you contact the provider directly to check whether they will accept your item and what it will cost to recycle. E-waste and battery recycling specialists that you could contact include:

Batteries

Batteries cannot be placed in any kerbside bin. They should be removed from the product they are contained in for recycling. Batteries can be recycled at the following locations:

Bunnings accepts:

  • AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 6V sized household batteries
  • Power tool batteries
  • Button cell batteries
  • Other hand held sized batteries that fit into the collection unit slot

Woolworths, Aldi, Coles and IGA all have EcoBatt bins which can accept:

  • Household batteries
  • Power tool batteries
  • Storage batteries
  • Phone batteries
  • Computer batteries
  • Button cells

Small household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) can be dropped at one of Council's recycling stations located at our Customer Service  Centres.

Further information on battery recycling can be found on the B-cycle website which is the product stewardship program for batteries.

More information about e-waste

More information about the e-waste landfill ban, what e-waste is, and information on other recycling options is available on the Sustainability Victoria website. You can also get in touch with us to find out more information using the details on our Contact us page.

For a small fee, you can take items to a neighbouring transfer station. As we do not have our own transfer station in Merri-bek, please call ahead to confirm charges, as costs to recycle e-waste vary. You can find out about transfer stations close to Merri-bek on our Waste and recycling locations page.