Sims and Collex join forces to recycle e-Waste

Recycling company Sims Group Limited and environment services company Collex Pty Ltd chose Clean Up Australia Day in March to launch Australia's first comprehensive computer and electronics recycling business.

Currently, most old computers, mobile telephones, television sets and computer peripherals in Australia end up in landfill.

The Sims-Collex recycling project will result in the recovery of metals, circuit boards plastics and CRT glass. These materials can result in hazardous waste, cause health problems if collected conventionally and create further environmental problems when they end up in landfill.

Managing director of Sims Group, Jeremy Sutcliffe said, "Australia is facing an avalanche of obsolete electronic equipment which has to be recycled and Sims will bring its e-waste recycling expertise from its operations in Europe and the US to apply to this business in Australia."

The extent of the Australian environmental problem associated with e-waste has been estimated at 125,000 tonnes annually. Australians also currently own more than 7.5 million television sets and a similar number of computers, 5.3 million printers and 2.1 million scanners and, with millions of new computers and mobile phones purchased every year, the need for electronic equipment recycling is set to increase exponentially.

Managing director of Collex, Mr Doug Dean said the initiative fits well with its resource recovery strategy.

Coinciding with the launch of the e-waste initiative, Sims-Collex provided a free drop-off facility for electronic equipment at selected locations on Clean Up Australia Day.

Chairman Ian Kiernan put his weight behind the new Sims-Collex joint venture as a key part of the total initiative which successfully collected 8450 tonnes of rubbish, including a full bottle of whisky, a bride's veil and an unopened slab of beer.