Swap e-waste for a native tree

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

Council’s trees for e-waste initiative will be held from 14 to 16 October 2022 to mark International E-waste Day on 14 October.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the initiative was a great way to increase awareness of Council’s e-waste collection service and reduce carbon emissions on Redlands Coast.

“Council offers a permanent e-waste recycling service at Birkdale and Redland Bay’s recycling and waste centres and is trialling the service on North Stradbroke, Coochiemudlo and Russell and Macleay islands until April 2023,” Cr Williams said.

“The initiative not only increases awareness of e-waste recycling but provides an opportunity for residents to create positive environmental impacts by planting hundreds of trees throughout Redlands Coast.

“With help from the Redlands Coast community, Council is reducing the amount of e-waste that ends up in landfill, where it produces carbon emissions.

“E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream and in the last financial year Council received 312 tonnes of e-waste, which is an increase of 15 per cent over the previous financial year.

“Council hopes to gather eight tonnes of e-waste and in exchange give away about 200 trees by the end of the trees for e-waste initiative period.

“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.”

The trees for e-waste initiative runs from 14 to 16 October at Redland Bay, Birkdale and North Stradbroke, Coochiemudlo, Russell and Macleay islands’ recycling and waste centres, with the centres open at the following times:

Birkdale and Redland Bay – Monday to Sunday from 7am to 5.30pmNorth Stradbroke Island – Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm and weekends from 7.30am to 3pmCoochiemudlo Island – Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to midday and weekends from 10am to 2pmRussell and Macleay islands – Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm and weekends from 8am to 4pm

Mainland residents who would like to exchange their e-waste for a tree will be given a tree voucher, which they can use to collect a free tree from either Council’s IndigiScapes Nursery on week days or the IndigiScapes Centre on weekends.

Island residents will be given a tree at the centre should they choose to exchange their e-waste for a tree.

There is a limit of one tree voucher or tree per household in exchange for e-waste, available to the first 75 mainland residents (per centre) and the first 25 island residents (per centre).

E-waste items suitable for recycling include:

TVs, interactive displays, digital displays, data projectors, video and tape playersComputer equipment: desktops/workstations, monitors, thin clients, all-in-ones, notebooks and tablets, monitors including CRTs, servers and storage arrays, switches and routersPrinters, copiers and multi-function printersPOS equipmentSmall kitchen, bathroom and laundry appliances: toasters, kettles, hairdryers, shavers and ironsPower drills, fans, vacuums and sound systems

Mobile phones are not accepted at recycling and waste centres but can be dropped off at dedicated collection points, including IndigiScapes and mainland libraries, during opening hours.