The 210 tonnes of e-waste collected by 11 metropolitan Local Governments and regional authorities was supported by the WA Local Government Association, the Waste Authority and Apple Pty Ltd.

WALGA President, Cr Bill Mitchell said more than 4000 people took the opportunity to dispose of unwanted electrical goods over the weekend collection.

He said the event which was held to coincide with World Environment Day was estimated to have saved Local Government about $200,000 in e-waste recycling costs.

“With the amount of electronic waste generated in homes generally increasing, it’s great to see so many people taking the time to dispose of their old electronic items responsibly,” Cr Mitchell said.

“These items, if not properly disposed of, have the potential to release toxic metals that impact on both our health and the environment, so we applaud all the Local Government authorities involved that made this event such a success.”

The recycling of the electronic waste is to be paid for by Apple Pty Ltd as part of the company’s corporate responsibility and international environment plan.

“We are now holding discussions with Apple on the possibility of holding some non-metropolitan collection days in the future,” Cr Mitchell said.

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