The federal government has introduced a new Bill, which will see the supply chain take responsibility of the proper disposal of goods.
The Product Stewardship Bill will help manage the environmental, health and safety impacts of products including televisions and computers.
Senator Don Farrell, parliamentary secretary for sustainability and urban water, said the aim of the Bill is to reduce hazardous substances, avoid and reduce waste, and increase recycling and resource recovery.
“Product stewardship is about everyone involved in the production, supply and use of products, sharing responsibility for the environmental impacts throughout a product’s life – from production through to disposal,” he said.
“This groundbreaking legislation provides for a flexible and practical approach to product stewardship by recognising that each product, material and industry is unique.”
Televisions and computers will be the first products to be covered under the legislation. The planned National Television and Computer Product Stewardship Scheme aims to increase the recycling rate for TVs and computers to 80 per cent by 2020-21.
“The proposed scheme will require importers and manufacturers of TVs, computers and computer peripherals to fund and implement national collection and recycling of these products,” Farrell said.
“Recyclable materials that can be recovered from TVs and computers include glass and plastics, iron, steel, aluminium and copper, and precious metals such as gold, platinum and silver.”
Collection services will be progressively rolled out Australia-wide over five years by the television and computer industry.