By Keri Algar
SYDNEY, NSW: TVs and computes will be the first products to be covered under the Product Stewardship Bill, said Senator Don Farrell, parliamentary secretary for sustainability and urban water.
“The proposed scheme will require importers and manufacturers of TVs, computers and computer peripherals to fund and implement national collection and recycling of these products,” said Farrell.
As a founding member of Product Stewardship Australia (PSA), Sharp said it had been heavily consulted during the legislation’s development towards workable e-waste structure and that it will be actively involved in implementation.
“PSA has worked with the Federal Environment Department to create a permanent collection, recycling and community education scheme that will cover end-of-life TVs and IT equipment,” Mark Beard, PSA Director and Sharp National Marketing Manager told Current.com.au.
“The Bill now allows a structure and time line to be put into place for importers to implement their e-waste strategy. The Bill's passing should ensure equitable sharing of the e-waste burden by importers.
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Beard said the main issue is to reduce the impact of e-waste on the environment and that the recovery of valuable elements is a by-product that may assist in a small way to off-set some of the costs involved in the process.
“As a global organisation, Sharp aims to become an Environmentally Advanced Company: a company balancing business expansion with environmental preservation. We carry this sentiment into our Australian operation where local environmental activities are implemented and independently audited.”