Ewaste Watch Returns—Exposing the Crisis, Demanding Action!

After a brief hiatus, Ewaste Watch is back! Shining a spotlight on the darkest corners of industry and government inaction, and standing up against the mounting irreversible harm caused by Australia’s growing e-waste crisis.

Now operating under the wing of the Total Environment Centre (TEC)—an independent, not-for-profit environmental advocacy group—Ewaste Watch will continue its mission to drive real change. TEC is committed to reducing the environmental and human health impacts of electronic and electrical products, and to holding those responsible for e-waste to account.

Launched in 2017, Ewaste Watch began as a vital voice raising awareness and promoting practical solutions for one of the world’s fastest-growing—and most toxic—waste streams. But since then, the problem has only escalated. In 2024, Australians discarded an estimated 600 million kilograms of e-waste, and by 2030, we’re on track to generate over 82 million tonnes annually. Yet only about half of that waste is collected for recycling—far short of the UN’s target for industrialised nations to recycle at least 85% of e-waste by 2030.

^{Whitegoods at Summerhill Waste Management Centre (NSW)}

Successive state and federal governments have dropped the ball—backing low-cost, ineffective schemes that barely scratch the surface. The few product stewardship programs that do exist operate at limited scale, focus only on recycling, and exclude many high-impact products. Refrigerators and other common domestic appliances for example, are not included in any federally accredited stewardship scheme. This means manufacturers continue to profit while dodging responsibility for the long-term damage their products cause.

Ewaste Watch will continue to push for mandatory, industry-wide product stewardship—targeting companies that refuse to take responsibility for the waste and pollution they create. We’ll advocate for real action across every level of the waste management hierarchy, building momentum toward a circular economy that not only reduces harm but restores ecosystems.

We envisage a world where durability, repairability, recyclability, and waste reduction are built into product design from the start. A world where those who profit from disposable, polluting products pay their fair share to clean up the mess. And a world where materials circulate continuously in a truly sustainable economy..