Web-Resol Tudo sobre Limpeza Urbana e Resíduos Sólidos!
The price of televisions and computers could soon jump as state and federal governments consider up-front recycling fees on expensive electrical equipment to reduce landfill.
The Age newspaper reports that Victorian Environment Minister John Thwaites has backed the plan and said the up-front fee recycling approach could be applied to TVs, computers, tyres, fluorescent lamps, packaging materials, plastic bags and mobile phones.
Mr Thwaites said that at a recent meeting of state and federal environment ministers, it was agreed the Commonwealth Government would investigate the application of "advanced recycling fees" to encourage recycling of electronic equipment including televisions and computers. It is understood the federal Environment Department will begin work on the proposal later this year, with a report to be sent to the next meeting of environment ministers.
Mr Thwaites said electronic equipment contained valuable resources that could be reused and also hazardous materials that could pose a threat to the environment when dumped in landfill. He said "a number of industry sectors had been working on national product stewardship schemes that will result in their products being recycled and therefore diverted from landfill. For example, the TV industry has put forward a funded voluntary scheme where millions of TVs could be collected and recycled. Because most electronic goods are imported from overseas, we need the Commonwealth to use its powers to bring in a standardised, national approach,".
Mr Thwaites said Victoria had already established "Byteback" recycling centres for unwanted electronic goods. He said there had to be a national approach to recycling. "Australia is in real danger of becoming an international pariah if we fail to develop consistent national solutions to the nation‘‘s environmental problems."
A spokesman for federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said the Government was happy to move forward on the recycling scheme.
Artigos Relacionados
Check Also
Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains
Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...