HEATHCOTE and district residents deposited 10.5 tonnes of e-waste to the Heathcote Landfill in July.
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Waste items consisted of unwanted TVs, computers, printers and related accessories and was part of a one-off free deposit program provided by the City of Greater Bendigo in conjunction with Future Employment Opportunities and TechCollect.
City of Greater Bendigo waste services manager Simon Clay said the initiative had been a success with about 1700 items weighing over 10.5 tonnes received at the Heathcote Landfill.
"This is even more remarkable when you consider that the Heathcote district has about 1600 homes," he said.
"At least 90 per cent of all items collected through the TechCollect program are recycled so it’s great that we have collected so many from the Heathcote district alone.
"The city would like to thank all of the Heathcote and district residents for supporting this initiative and for taking advantage of this opportunity to rid themselves of unwanted e-waste items."
Mr Clay said there were many benefits to recycling unwanted TVs, computers, printers and other related items.
"There is a lot of potentially hazardous materials, in terms of rare metals, which in small concentrations, if we put them into landfill there is a potential they will leech over time and end up in the water system," he said.
"Other benefits include, materials associated with these items, in particular plastic, can be recovered and used in the manufacture of something else."
All items collected at the Heathcote Landfill have been taken to the city's permanent TechCollect collection point at the Heathcote Eco Centre for recycling.
"Thanks also to the Heathcote Lions Club for assisting residents who did not have the means to take their old TVs to the landfill due to a physical disability or their age," he said.
"If anyone missed the opportunity to dispose of their unwanted e-waste they can still take it to the Eaglehawk Eco Centre anytime free of charge because that is a permanent TechCollect collection point."
TechCollect was established as part of the Federal Government's National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
