|
Published: 22 April 2013
Public comment invited on national TV, computer recycling scheme
The Australian Government has released a discussion paper proposing amendments to the regulations governing the administration of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
|
|
The government is considering extending the scope of the current e-waste scheme to cover other electronic products, such as VCRs, DVD players, set top boxes, video game consoles and stereo equipment. Credit:
Mark Stosberg via flicker CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
|
The Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, Amanda Rishworth, said the public consultation period offers an opportunity for interested parties to help build on the early success of the scheme.
‘The discussion paper is based on the experiences gained during the scheme’s first year of operation and on feedback from the television and computer industry organisations running the scheme,’ Ms Rishworth said.
‘We commenced the scheme anticipating that operational experiences would identify further opportunities to fine-tune and enhance the scheme as it matured. After twelve months the signs are that the scheme is progressing well, and by monitoring the roll-out closely we’ve been able to identify some enhancements to strengthen it further.’
The government has identified four key areas where the scheme could be further enhanced:
-
better matching of product codes and conversion factors
-
strengthening the capacity of co-regulatory arrangements to manage risk
-
simplifying administrative processes for e-waste collection and recycling
-
aligning the scheme’s activities more closely with the waste stream and the community’s requirements for recycling.
These will be the focus of planned amendments to the Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers) Regulations 2011, which will take effect from 1 July 2013.
As part of a possible second phase of amendments to take place after 30 June 2014, the consultation is also seeking views on whether there is benefit in extending the scope of the scheme to cover similar electronic products, such as home entertainment equipment including video cassette recorders, DVD players, set top boxes, video game consoles and stereo equipment; refining the calculation of the total ‘waste arising’ and further refining product codes and conversion factors.
Submissions, due by 7 May, can be submitted to ewaste@environment.gov.au Stakeholder forums are being held during April and May 2013 to discuss the proposed amendments.
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme is industry-funded, but regulated by the Australian Government under the Product Stewardship Act 2011.
Source: Australian Government media release
