Free computer recycling weekend - takes MegaHertz out of disposal costs

Good point by Hell_Bells too. We avoid buying cheap and nasty but even then some things just don’t last.

Thank you RiotACT, and Che in the earlier thread, for publicising this. It was very timely for us and we wouldn’t have otherwise known.

I agree with housebound’s concern about our wasteful society 🙁 We included a couple of still functioning items because trying to find out what charities will accept these days, especially if it plugs in, is an uphill battle, and there is no revolve-style facility at the moment. Of course a little more thought before purchase would be a good idea.

housebound said :

There was a lot of stuff that looked too good to throw out. Flat screen monitors, new-ish looking printers and even a flat tv. Hude piles of stuff that we’ve all paid good money for, and now we queue up to throw it away. Cheers to our wasteful society.

Isn’t always our wasteful fault. I have a flat screen monitor that needs to go in the bin, was an Optima brand so not cheap and lasted about 2 years only. I am back to using my 15in CRT IBM monitor that I got in 2001 (which now my son can’t use) and have been for the last 15 months. As for televisions, printers and other electricals, they may be getting fancier but they don’t always last the distance or the technology even for general use. I’ll only get a new screen if this CRT dies, how is that wasteful? Then I would need to dump my 15in one as well. And so it goes!

I do understand the terrible irony however.

There was a lot of stuff that looked too good to throw out. Flat screen monitors, new-ish looking printers and even a flat tv. Hude piles of stuff that we’ve all paid good money for, and now we queue up to throw it away. Cheers to our wasteful society.

Trunking symbols said :

I was under the impression that “recycling” meant that working items would be “refurbished, onsold as whole units or donated” to use their own words. If I’d known that I wouldn’t have taken in two working towers, a printer/fax/copier that needed minor repairs and an obsolete (but still working) modem.

Bad luck, better read their FAQS next time eh?

It seems to me Northside residents are being unfairly treated in the exercise.

There are effectively three drop-off points within close range for southside residents (ie Greenway, Mugga Lane and Queanbeyan, but only one site for all of Belconnen, Gungahlin and North Canberra.

No wonder there are queues at Mitchell.

That aside though, it’s an outstanding idea.

All credit to those involved.

I was under the impression that “recycling” meant that working items would be “refurbished, onsold as whole units or donated” to use their own words. If I’d known that I wouldn’t have taken in two working towers, a printer/fax/copier that needed minor repairs and an obsolete (but still working) modem.

With regard to the poor asian country…

I remember reading this a while back, be sure to go through the slide show. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1870485,00.html

Went to Tuggeranong this morning, and there was a decent queue but it did move quite fast.

We took an old radio down to the Tuggeranong Park and Ride. which was another of the collection points. There was a fair queue there at 9:15-9:30 yesterday morning.

Mugga Lane was very well organised. I went there twice (our family seems to collect old computers for some reason), and each time we where there for no more than 5 minutes. Everyone working there seemed to be right on the ball, directing people to the right places and getting the computers out of cars and into the containers asap.

It kinda gave me hope for the ability of Canberra to still be able to organise things without them falling apart.

backlash said :

I would take my monitor there but I can’t carry it down my stairs, to heavy

obviously it wasn’t too heavy to get up the stairs though.

Wow, that’s a crowd… hmm, maybe that old TV isn’t as in-the-way in the spare room as I thought it was…

Traffic was pretty chaotic there at Mitchell. There were a few presumably Resource Centre workers out the front with lollipop stop/go signs trying to organise and direct traffic but I think the situation was beyond them. The big guy who I presumed was some kind of supervisor was yelling at his other workers for not doing the job right. It was quite funny to watch (probably not for the workers though, if my boss yelled at me like that I would shove the lollipop sign where the sun doesn’t shine. The cops turned up for a few minutes I guess to see what all the traffic was doing but they only stayed a few minutes and left. Maybe the big guy yelled at them too and they got scared and ran away?!

Good idea though, the computer recycling. I’m surprised at how many people turned up with computer junk to dump at Mitchell – especially considering there were three other areas around Canberra/Qbn that you could leave computer junk as well. I wonder if they were as busy?

I would take my monitor there but I can’t carry it down my stairs, to heavy

Thanks Heinous, I had to go back to look at the flyer again. It has logos for the ACT Govt, Leaders in No Waste, and Queanbeyan City Council, but no Apple logo. Just the one liner: “The e-waste is recycled courtesy of Apple Pty Ltd”, that I skimmed over when reading it. You’d think they would have made more of a song and dance about it? Especially considering a majority of the products would not have an Apple logo…

I guess last time Dell took one for the team, this time it was Apple, so next HP or IBM will pony up for Canberra’s ewaste?

It’s not the ACT Government/Queanbeyan Council you should be thanking, it’s Apple. See http://www.apple.com/au/environment/recycling/program/ Apple uses their environmental credentials to sell their product. Their web site says:

All electronic waste is processed by an Apple approved and authorised recycler in Australia. It is processed according to local, state and federal laws and in an environmentally controlled way to eliminate waste being needlessly dumped into landfill.

Each item is mechanically shredded or dismantled manually. Liberated materials are sorted into various product streams: metals, plastics, glass, cables and packaging. Commodities are weighed and then further processed.

Products are not refurbished, onsold as whole units or donated.