Household e-waste is banned from landfill from 1 July in a bid to encourage reuse.
The State Government ban will mean big changes on what can go into household waste bins.
Yarra Ranges Council explained that e-waste was any item with a plug, battery or cord that was no longer working or was not wanted.
On the list are irons, kettles, hairdryers, computer accessories, tablets, phones, TVs, LEDs and fluorescent lamps, electrical and electronic tools, toys, handheld video games, musical equipment and more.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Tony Stevenson said that any object that could take a power source, from a battery to a cord, was classified as e-waste and could be recycled.
“Electronics around the home, such as computers or televisions, contain precious, non-renewable metals such as gold and platinum, along with mixed plastics and metal circuitry, which can all take on a new life if recycled,” he said.
“For example, your toaster, which has aluminium, copper and nickel chrome alloy, can be reused to make new appliances – copper wiring can be used for anything from home electronics to electric cars.”
Cr Stevenson said some appliances could also contain toxic heavy metals, such as lead, mercury and arsenic.
“Recycling your appliances means we can prevent those metals from getting into the environment and re-use the materials safely in new products,” he said.
“It’s easy to take your e-waste to a better place, by dropping items off for free at your local waste transfer station or putting them out for collection in your annual hard waste collection where they will be separated for recycling.”
Visit recyclingnearyou.com.au for e-waste drop-off points.
