Redland City Council is encouraging mainland residents to recycle their e-waste and swap it for a free native tree.

Mayor Karen Williams said the initiative would help raise awareness of e-waste recycling to mark International E-Waste Day on 14 October 2020, with a twofold benefit.

“Council hopes to collect 20 tonnes of e-waste from 14 to 18 October and aims to give away about 500 trees in exchange over the same period,” she said.

“Not only will Council be able to recycle this e-waste, thus reducing our carbon emissions, there will also be positive environmental impacts through the planting of hundreds of native trees throughout Redlands Coast.”

Cr Williams said Council was committed to reducing the amount of e-waste going to landfill.

“E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally and in the last financial year Council received 256 tonnes of e-waste,” she said.

“All items collected are taken to a facility where they are pulled apart and the various components of glass, plastic, wire and metal are sent for recycling; in fact almost 95 per cent of the materials are recovered for further use.

“Council ran a similar e-waste collection drive for island residents in February 2020 and collected more than two tonnes of e-waste, and we plan to hold another drive in February 2021.”

The trees for e-waste campaign runs from 14 to 18 October at Redland Bay and Birkdale recycling and waste centres.

Both are open every day from 7am to 5.30pm.

There is a limit of one tree per household in exchange for e-waste, and there are about 250 tree vouchers available at both recycling and waste centres.

Trees can be collected from either IndigiScapes Nursery on weekdays or IndigiScapes Centre on weekends.

Council accepts e-waste year round at its two mainland recycling and waste centres at Redland Bay and Birkdale, and runs annual collection drives to the island centres.

E-waste items suitable for recycling include:

• TVs, interactive displays, digital displays, data projectors, video and tape players
• Computer equipment: desktops/workstations, monitors, thin clients, all-in-ones, notebooks and tablets, monitors including CRTs, servers and storage arrays, switches and routers
• Mobile phones
• Printers, copiers and multi-function printers
• POS equipment
• Small kitchen, bathroom and laundry appliances: toasters, kettles, hairdryers, shavers and irons
• Power drills, fans, vacuums and sound systems

For more information on Council’s waste and recycling centres, visit the redlnd.cc/e-waste.