🌏 Take Action: Help Stop the E-Waste Crisis

Every year, Australia generates hundreds of thousands of tonnes of electronic waste — much of it ending up in landfill or exported overseas. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By taking action together, we can push for change, support repair and reuse, and make smarter choices that protect our planet.

Below are practical ways you can be part of the solution — from urging government leadership to making better choices at home.

✉️ 1. Write to the Minister

Call on the Federal Environment Minister to:

  • Ban e-waste from landfill
  • Introduce a mandatory product stewardship scheme that makes producers responsible for reducing waste and pollution
  • Support repair, reuse, and recycled content markets

🟢 Coming soon – EwasteWatch’s email template
Your message will help build pressure for national action. Every email counts.

Bower Reuse and Repair Centres are currently running a campaign to establish a consumer right to repair, and to have that right enshrined in legislation. You can read about their campaign here, and sign their petition here.

🔧 2. Join a Local Repair Café

Repair Cafés are community workshops where volunteers help people fix their broken items — from toasters to laptops.
Repairing saves money, builds skills, and keeps valuable materials out of landfill.

🟢 [Find a Repair Café near you → Australia wide interactive map available here.

♻️ 3. Choose Durable, Repairable, and Recycled Products

Before you buy:

  • Look for repairability scores or information about spare parts and warranty length.
  • Support companies that design for long life and easy repair.
  • Choose products made with recycled materials or from certified circular suppliers.

Small shifts in purchasing can drive big shifts in industry behaviour.

💡 More Ways to Make a Difference

♻️ 4. Recycle Responsibly

Never put e-waste in your household bin. Instead, drop off old electronics and batteries at:

  • Council e-waste collection points – community recycling centres
  • Retail programs (e.g. Officeworks, Bunnings, ALDI)

🌱 5. Extend the Life of What You Have

Treat your tech like a long-term investment:

  • Clean and maintain devices regularly to prevent faults.
  • Replace parts, not the whole product, when something breaks.
  • Update software instead of upgrading the device.

A few extra years of use can dramatically reduce your footprint.

🔄6. Buy, Sell, or Donate Second-Hand

The most sustainable product is one that already exists.

  • Buy refurbished or second-hand electronics through trusted retailers or online marketplaces.
  • Donate working items to community groups, schools, or repair cafés.
  • Sell or give away unused gadgets through local swap groups or reuse networks.

🤝 7. Share and Borrow Instead of Buying New

Many electronics are used only occasionally — so why own them all?

  • Join or start a local tool or tech library to borrow items like projectors, power tools, or cameras.
  • Share equipment with friends or neighbours through online sharing platforms.
  • Pool community resources for things like chargers, printers, and audio equipment.

Sharing saves money, builds community, and keeps valuable materials in use longer.

Check out the Australian Library of Things Network

🧠 8. Share Knowledge and Influence Others

The more people who understand the problem, the faster change happens.

  • Host a talk or info stall about e-waste.
  • Share repair tutorials or recycling info on social media.
  • Encourage your workplace, school or club to adopt responsible e-waste policies.

Together, We Can Turn the Tide on E-Waste

E-waste is a design and policy problem — not just a personal one. By demanding better systems and making smarter everyday choices, we can create a circular economy where electronics are made to last, repaired when broken, and recycled when truly at end of life.