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 go in any of your household bins.

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. Each year in Australia around 10,000 fires are caused by the incorrect disposal of batteries and e-waste. 

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 your electrical item, consider whether it can be repaired. Keeping goods circulating keeps them out of landfills or recycling plants.

You can take items to a Repair Cafe to have them repaired or learn how to repair them yourself. Items must be able to be carried in. Find out more about Repair Cafes in Merri-bek at Brunswick Tool Library and Sussex Neighbourhood House.

Donate your e-waste

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

The Reconnect Project is 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.

Glee Givers is a social enterprise that 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 Glee Givers website.

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 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, computer and accessories 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

Small e-waste and accessories can also be taken to Officeworks. Items accepted include:

  • USBs and hard drives
  • Mobile phones and smart watches (take to a staff member)
  • Computers and laptops (take to a staff member)
  • Chargers, cords and cables
  • Headphones and speakers
  • Gaming consoles and controllers
  • Modems, routers and wifi equipment
  • Motherboards and printed circuit boards
  • Printers and scanners (take to a staff member)
  • Smart home devices

East Brunswick Transfer Station

The East Brunswick Transfer Station will accept e-waste such as TVs, computers, lamps, heaters, power tools and cameras for a fee. White goods are also accepted. We recommend you visit their website or contact the transfer station directly to check whether they will accept your item and what it will cost to recycle.

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 limited 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. E-waste 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.