consultation regulatory impact statement: televisions and computers

source: EPHC
"The regulatory impact statement assesses proposed options to address identified problems with end-of-life televisions and computers. This consultation regulatory impact statement does not propose to address the whole issue of end of life electrical and electronic products, but rather it is part of a proposed incremental approach."

Willingness to pay for e-waste recycling: final report

Source: EPHC
"There is little incentive for businesses to provide e-waste recycling services, as the cost involved in collection and processing far outweighs the possible value of materials recovered. Given that community concern exists about the low level of recycling currently undertaken, this project's objective was to determine if that concern would translate into a willingness to pay (WTP) for higher levels of recycling achieved via government intervention."

Turning rubbish into community money

Source: Victorian Greens
"This report provides a snapshot of the likely financial and environmental impacts of a Drink Container Deposit System in Victoria, based on the model proposed by Colleen Hartland MLC in forthcoming legislation. It does not present a full economic analysis; rather it looks at the broad changes in financial flows and costs, and the associated environmental benefits from increased recycling of drink containers."

A national waste policy: managing waste to 2020: consultation paper

Source: Dept. of the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts
"The purpose of this consultation paper is to seek input from individuals, community groups, businesses, industry and governments on the priority issues to be considered in the development of a national waste policy and how these might be addressed."

Waste avoidance and resource recovery progress report 2008

Source: NSW Dept. of Environment and Climate Change
"The 2008 'Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Progress Report' tracks recycling progress in the municipal, commercial and industrial, and construction and demolition sectors against targets outlined in the NSW Government’s waste strategy. According to the report, NSW is “tracking well” to meet the state’s 2014 recycling targets. The report states the recycling rate for the whole of NSW has increased from 46% in 2004-2005 to 52% of total waste created in 2006-2007. However, while a greater proportion of waste is being recycled in NSW, the report also finds the state generated more waste in 2006-2007 than was produced in 2004-2005."

Tipping point: Australia's e-waste crisis

Source: Total Environment Centre
"About 168 million electronic waste items will either be dumped in landfill or be destined for landfill by the end of 2008, a new report has found. The report by the Total Environment Centre says the lack of environmentally responsible recovery options for electronic waste has reached crisis point.In light of the report, the Total Environment Centre has called on state and federal environment ministers to implement an e-waste recycling system to prevent the number of e-waste items in Australia’s landfills rising to more than 200 million by 2010."

EPHC mid-term review of the National Packaging Covenant. Part 1. Recycling performance and data integrity

Source: Total Environment Centre
"In an ongoing dispute over the accuracy of data supplied by business, environmental lobby group the Total Environment Centre (TEC) has again questioned whether figures compiled by the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) accurately reflect Aust's recycling rates. But the Packaging Council of Aust (PCA) has said it has no doubts about its data. TEC said its analysis suggested the NPC had understated packaging consumption rates and overstated recycling rates."

Transpacific Harvest

Source: Transpacific Industries
"Research by national recycling and waste management company Transpacific Industries Group suggests less than 20 per cent of Australian businesses recycle with those that do limited to cardboard and paper only. A multi-million dollar national recycling program, aimed specifically at targeting Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste, has just been launched yo make recycling of all packaging materials easier and cost-effective. The National Packaging Covenant's target to increase Australia's C&I packaging recycling rate from 20 per cent to 65 per cent by 2010 will be helped by Transpacific's new Harvest Recycling Program - launched in Brisbane by The Hon Andrew McNamara MP, Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation."

Electronic waste: EPA needs to better control harmful U.S. exports through stronger enforcement and more comprehensive regulation

Source: GAO
"In a harsh review of U.S. hazardous waste laws, independent government investigators highlighted the need for improved regulation of electronic waste in a new report. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last week said a `substantial quantity` of discarded electronics, such as computers, televisions, and cell phones, are sent to the developing world where they are dismantled in conditions unsafe to workers and dangerous to the environment."

Management of Australia's waste streams

Source: Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts
"There are several significant drivers, such as climate change and water scarcity, that are changing the waste debate, according to this report. In the committee's view waste policy needs to address issues that are relevant to its own sphere and at the same time, complement policies in other spheres particularly in relation to environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, productivity as well as transport and infrastructure."

Recycled water quality: A guide to determining, monitoring and achieving safe concentrations of chemicals in recycled water

Source: National Water Commission
"The purpose of this project was to investigate scientifically justified human-based chemical quality guidelines for recycled water uses that lead to human exposure. The water sources that are relevant to this review include water from sewage treatment plants, water mining from sewers and managed aquifer recharge. In addition, it was requested that the document recommend appropriate source control and treatment technologies to reliably reduce concentrations of chemical contaminants, and options (if any exist) for public health surveillance to detect impacts to human health from exposure to these chemicals."

CO2 impacts of transporting the UK's recovered paper and plastic bottles to China

Source: WRAP
"A new WRAP study has found that selling the UK’s used plastic bottles and paper for recycling in China actually saves carbon emissions. Shipping these materials more than 10,000 miles produces less CO2 than sending them to landfill at home and using brand new materials."

National litter index report 2007-08

Source: Keep Australia Beautiful
"New figures released by Keep Australia Beautiful show an overall decrease in littering on an Australia-wide basis. The 2007-2008 National Litter Index – which reports on litter by type, by location and by volume – shows that during 2007-2008, 68 items of litter were found per 1000 square metre site area, down from 74 litter items in the same area during 2006-2007.States to record litter items above the average of 68 items per 1000 square metres were: Western Australia (85 items); New South Wales (77 items) and Queensland (76 items)."

Wastewater reuse and recycling systems: a perspective into India and Australia

Source: International Water Management Institute
"With issues of climate change, increases in urban population and increased demand for water from competing sectors, wastewater recycling is becoming an important strategy to complement the existing water resources for both developing and developed countries and there are lessons, experiences, data and technology that can be shared for mutual benefit."

Chemical contamination at e-waste recycling and disposal sites in Accra and Korforidua, Ghana

Source: Greenpeace
"The global market for electrical and electronic equipment continues to expand, while the lifespan of many products becomes shorter. Consequently, the waste stream of obsolete electrical and electronic products, commonly called “e-waste”, is also vast and growing, with estimates of 20-50 million tonnes per year being generated worldwide. Many of the products contain numerous hazardous chemicals and materials, and therefore the recycling and disposal of e-waste poses a threat to the environment and to human health."

Addressing water scarcity through recycling and reuse

source: GE Water Technologies
"While governments in water scarce regions are looking for ways to expand water recycling and reuse, they often have difficulty finding information on the policy options from which they might choose. The purpose of this white paper is to provide such a menu of policy options, drawing on examples from around the world."

The food we waste

"This ground-breaking report was launched on 8 May 2008. It provides, for the first time, an objective assessment of the amounts and types of food we buy but don’t eat.
It is a call to action for government, retailers, food manufacturers, NGOs and all of us, in our role as consumers, to reduce the food we waste."

Cell phone recycling is an easy call

The nation's leading cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers have teamed up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to answer America's call for easy cell phone recycling.