Pulling the plug on e-waste

Join US for the FIRST EVER NATIONWIDE e-Waste Collection Drive

As part of this national e-waste collection campaign Jeffares & Green Consulting Engineers, in partnership with the GREENACRES shopping mall, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) Eastern Cape Branch, “Khanya” Hygiene Services and DESCO will be hosting its first public e-waste collection event:

• When: Thursday , 1st November 2012 (from 10 AM-2 PM)
• Where: GREENACRES Shopping Centre, Ring Road – Entrance 2 Loading Zone (near Mugg & Bean)

Encouraged by last year’s success which saw the collection of more than 3.5 tons of e-waste from Cape Town based households and businesses, the 2012 annual collection drive will be run this year with participating Jeffares & Green Offices, The GREENACRES shopping centre (and other selected partners providing similiar collection solutions in Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, and Cape Town) nation-wide.

Susanne Dittke, e-Waste Alliance coordinator said, “any e-Waste that is collected will be re-furbished, repaired, re-used or recycled where possible, and ONLY safely disposed of if no other treatment options are available. All materials will be handled according to integrated waste management principles and in the most environmentally safe manner.”

What exactly is e-Waste? E-waste constitutes any unwanted electrical or electronic equipment (either running on batteries or electricity) such as computers, TVs, VCRs & DVDs, consumer electronics, kettles, printers, fax machines, cell phones, toasters, microwaves or direct parts thereof. We will also offer the collection of any equipment “consumables” such as cartridges or batteries. If in doubt: bring it ALL to the GREENACRES shopping centre on 1st of November between 10 AM-2 PM

What is the problem with e-Waste? E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in South Africa as old/ redundant items are generated due to the rapid advance of new technology.

Due to the numerous chemical elements and heavy metals (such as lead, mercury and cadmium) contained in most electric and electronic goods any resulting e-waste can be hazardous and toxic, causing serious health and environmental pollution problems if not handled responsibly. Hazardous components from mismanaged e-waste can contaminate soil and water (if unsafely disposed of) and pollute the air with toxic fumes (if burnt), all of which can have dire consequences to plants, animals and people alike.

How many of us upgrade our cellphones every two years believing that our phone is out-dated? Where is our broken fax machine or printer stored? Somewhere stock-piled in your home waiting for better times that never come? Now is the time to empty out that garage full of e-waste and bring it to the GREENACRES shopping mall on Thursday 1st of November between 10 AM and 2 PM.

With a bit of luck you might even win a fully refurbished Lenovo Thinkmaster PC Unit with a 19¨LCD Monitor , a Dual Core 2,5 GHz processor and 160 GB Harddrive to the value of R 1600- courtesy of DESCO- if you drop off your e-waste with US on the day and enter the lucky draw.

For more information please contact the e-waste collection event coordinator Susanne Dittke: at envirosense@xsinet.co.za or at 021-5320940 or 0718590829

Author: Susaan Ditke
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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.

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