Electronics, such as TVs, mobile phones and computers, are made of materials that can harm people and the environment if not disposed of properly. Those same materials are in short supply in some parts of the world, so it makes sense to recover and reuse the materials rather than mine for more virgin materials.
Each year Sustainability Trust diverts about 10 tonnes of e-waste from landfill by offering a central city drop-off point for everything from electric toothbrushes to laptops to vacuum cleaners at the end of their life.
We charge a small fee for disposal to cover costs, see below for a table of charges and read see below for more details about what happens to your e-waste once it's dropped to us.
We can't take large appliances like washing machines or heat pumps.
If your e-waste is not listed below, please email Vishal to ask if we take it or not.
| TVs and computer monitors | |
| TVs - CRTs, including CRT Macs | $40 per screen |
| TVs - flatscreens, Apple LCDs | $25 per screen |
| Computer monitor - CRTs | $25 per screen |
| Computer monitor - LCDs | $15 per screen |
| Computers | |
| Laptops, PCs (not including screens) | $10 per item |
| Servers, patch panels and switches | $20 per item |
| UPSs | $20 per item |
| Hubs, routers, modems | $3 per kg |
| Cables, memory boards, keyboards, mouses | $3 per kg |
| Tablets | $5 per item |
| Data destruction or degaussing | $15 per hard drive |
| Printers and other office equipment | |
| Domestic-sized printers, scanners and faxes | $10 per item |
| Small to medium office photocopiers | $40 per item |
| Large office photocopiers | $70 per item |
| Copier toner | $4 per kg |
| Household appliances | |
| Small appliances, such as power tools and alarm clocks | $5 per item |
| Cameras, video cameras, landline phones, GPS units | $5 per item |
| Domestic heaters, including oil columns, electric and fan heaters | $10 per item |
| Vacuum cleaners | $10 per item |
| Microwaves | $20 per item |
| Other electronics | |
| DVD players, VCRs, gaming consoles | $10 per item |
| CD players, stereo systems (including speakers), amps, record players | $10 per item |
| Mobile phones | Free |
| Batteries, including laptop batteries | $5 per kg |
| Miscellaneous electronics | $3 per kg |
| Lightbulbs | |
| CFL ecobulbs | $2 each |
| Fluorescent tubes | $3 each |
At Sustainability Trust we work with trusted partners to dispose of the e-waste that our customers drop off. Sometimes the processes change, but we make every effort to stay up-to-date and make sure it never goes to landfill. If you have any further questions about the recycling processes used by our partners, please contact Vishal Gurudutt on 04 385 0500 x 720.
Batteries
Batteries are sent to our partner, IT Recycla, who is currently stockpiling the batteries while researching a commercially viable solution for the reuse or recycling of both lithium and alkaline batteries. They are never sent to the landfill.
Mobile phones
Our mobile phones go to SwapKit, who sort phones into those that can be reused and those that which are end of life. The majority can be reused and are bought by overseas bidders. The rest are sent to Zero Waste NZ who ship them to Japan for material recovery. Batteries, chargers and accessories are sent to Sims Recycling Solutions and Zero Waste for breakdown and recovery.
CFL ecobulbs and flurotubes
These are sent to Interwaste, who separate the materials for recycling and remove the mercury for safe disposal. Read more about the process here.
Other e-waste
Most of our other e-waste is sent to IT Recycla, please see their website for more information.