We are pleased to be presenting to you the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) MobileMuster Annual Report for 2011-12.

This year MobileMuster is also celebrating 15 years since its inception. Since late 1998 the mobile phone industry has collected and recycled more than 1,000 tonnes of old mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories – keeping them out of landfill.

This infographic provides a snapshot of the industry’s recycling achievements over the last 15 years.

Recycling materials properly is a high priority. MobileMuster’s recovery rate of 93% now complies with the new Australia and New Zealand Standard for the collection, storage, transport and treatment of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment (AS/NZS 5377:2013) and has been independently assured by PwC.

As a result, in 2011-12 the materials recovered replaced the need to mine at least 1,165 tonnes of precious metal ores for gold, silver and copper as well as iron ore, aluminium and other metals.

None of the mobiles or accessories received by MobileMuster are sold overseas for reuse where potentially they could end up in landfills or processed in unethical and unsafe ways causing environmental harm and risk to human health.  All data is destroyed during the recycling process.

The mobile phone industry works with retailers, local governments, schools, workplaces and the Australian community to ensure everyone can recycle their old mobile safely and easily. Click here to learn more about The MobileMuster Promise.

To learn more about the program or how you can be involved MobileMuster visit www.mobilemuster.com.au or call 1300 730 070.

MobileMuster is a Corporate Member of the Global Product Stewardship Council and Recycling Manager Rose Read is Treasurer of the GlobalPSC.

The Global Product Stewardship Council has grown to over 40 members with headquarters or facilities in eleven countries.

Expand your knowledge base. Get inside information on product stewardship and producer responsibility programs and policies to improve performance, reduce risks and reduce costs. Click here to find out more.

The GlobalPSC is an independent, non-profit incorporated association dedicated to understanding and advancing the principles of product stewardship. GlobalPSC members include businesses of all sizes, NGOs and governments at federal, state/provincial and local levels.

As a membership-based organisation providing an online clearinghouse of independent, objective information on product stewardship, the GlobalPSC does not advocate for or against particular approaches. Rather, we help stakeholders to understand the objectives, strengths and weaknesses of various programs based on independent, peer-reviewed analysis and sharing information on emerging initiatives through an international network of product stewardship practitioners.

Singapore

Conference, exhibition and plant tours organized by World Recycling Forum

The next top quality conference in electronics recycling will take place from November 12 – 15, 2013 in exciting Singapore.

During the conference, leading recycling experts from around the world – including manufacturers, collectors, processors, steelmakers, legislators and policy makers – will meet to discuss:

• Circular economy in Asia
• How do countries and electronics manufacturing companies close the recycling loop?
• Worldwide take back schemes and challenges of OEMs
• Reports about strategic metals recycling (PGM, rare earth elements)
• Best available recycling technologies
• Metal and scrap trading
• How to recycle lamps and other mercury containing scraps

An exhibition area is integrated into the conference facility, where vendors meet their clients. Furthermore, cocktail receptions and networking dinner offer an excellent atmosphere to get in touch with your business partners, friends and competitors.

The conference is a platform to exchange information, to meet new business partners and to get easy access to new potential clients.

• Asia’s power has strong impact on the international recycling business
• Learn from the speakers and exhibitors of the conference
• Plant tours: You will have the chance visiting manufacturing and recycling companies in Singapore
• Meet your clients and sell your services and products
• Get in touch with the players and also the new upcoming companies of Asia

In April 2013 DHL Supply Chain, an approved co-regulatory arrangement under Australia’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (Scheme), operator of the Drop Zone program and Global Product Stewardship Council Sustaining Corporate member, held a workshop in Sydney for liable parties under the Scheme. DHL is holding a similar workshop early May in Melbourne.

As part of our ongoing efforts to draw meaningful lessons from international experience, the GlobalPSC is conducting further research into comparing recycling rates and costs of recycling between product stewardship and EPR programs. DHL invited the GlobalPSC’s Russ Martin to preview the GlobalPSC’s research on making meaningful comparisons between electronics product stewardship programs.

The presentation, posted in the Knowledge Base available to GlobalPSC members, addresses producer responsibility programs for electronics in the US, Canada and Europe, discusses the challenges in comparing costs of electronics programs, provides several case studies and explores market trends for electronics.

PaintCare, Australia’s first trade waste paint trial commenced on 1 March 2013 and has already collected over 15 tonnes of waste paint. An initiative of the Australian Paint Manufacturers’ Federation (APMF), PaintCare is collecting waste paint from trade painters to assess a waste stream that is currently undefined in Australia. The trial, based in the state of Victoria, will run until 31 May 2013 and is funded by the APMF in partnership with Sustainability Victoria (SV), DuluxGroup, Valspar, PPG and Haymes Paints. A key program objective is to gather data to evaluate volumes, economies and associated behaviours to inform the development of a national product stewardship program for the safe disposal of waste architectural and decorative (A&D) paint.

Six Victorian transfer stations located in Geelong, Bendigo, Melton, Monash, Shepparton and Mornington are supporting the PaintCare trial. Results to date are shown below for the four programs with data currently available.

The Global Product Stewardship Council is currently working with the APMF and other stakeholders to help SV develop the business case and public policy case for A&D paint stewardship in Australia. Both APMF and SV are GlobalPSC members.

Further details on the PaintCare trial are available here.

As further proof that product stewardship and producer responsibility are making serious inroads into traditional waste management, recycling and resource issues, two product stewardship experts in Australia have made the cut for the top five nominees in the Resources & Waste category of the 2013 WME magazine Leaders List Awards. GlobalPSC President Russ Martin and Chief Sustainability Officer of Infoactiv John Gertsakis have worked for decades to advance product stewardship, so it’s great to see such recognition for their hard work.

Both Russ and John see the commercial and environmental value of effective product stewardship working across diverse product categories and industry sectors, from batteries and e-waste through to paint, commercial furniture and various other manufactured goods. Most importantly, they recognise that life cycle thinking and design innovation are essential elements in achieving a more coherent and sustainable approach to product stewardship.

Help promote product stewardship by going to the WME home page and click on the top left banner to vote for either Russ or John in the Resources & Waste category.

by David Perchard, GlobalPSC Vice-President and Managing Director of Perchards Ltd

On 16 April the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive that will amend the Accounting Directives by requiring companies with more than 500 employees and either a balance sheet total of over EUR 20 million or a net turnover of over EUR 40 million, to include in their annual reports a non-financial statement containing information relating to environmental, social and employee matters, respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters.

This would have to include a description of company policy in these areas, the results of these policies, the risks related to them and how the company manages those risks. Where a company does not pursue policies in relation to one or more of these matters, it would have to provide an explanation for not doing so.

See here for further information.

 Encorp Pacific (Canada) was originally formed in 1994 and appointed by beverage brand owners as the not-for-profit product stewardship corporation responsible for all beverage containers and all alcohol beverage containers (except for aluminum beer cans and refillable beer bottles).

Since its inception, Encorp has fulfilled the requirements of the British Columbia Recycling Regulation. This regulation calls for the submission of a revised plan every five years.

Stakeholders are invited to review the plan online or download the PDF and submit feedback anytime until July 2, 2013. The plan will also be available for review at the following public meetings:

April 18, 2013  1:00pm – 3:00pm  Bear Mountain Resort (1999 Country Club Way, Victoria)

April 23  1:00pm – 3:00pm  Coast Capri Hotel (1171 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna)

May 10   1:00pm – 3:00pm  BCIT Downtown Campus, (555 Seymour Street, Room 282/284)

May 24   1:00pm – 3:00pm  The Westin Resort & Spa (4090 Whistler Way, Whistler)

June 4    1:00pm – 3:00pm  Sandman Signature Hotel (2990 Recplace Dr Prince George)

June 12  1:00pm – 3:00pm  Prestige, Rocky Mountain Resort (209 Van Horne St S, Cranbrook)

To register online for any one of the above-noted sessions, click here.

Encorp Pacific is a long-standing Corporate Member of the Global Product Stewardship Council and Encorp’s President & CEO Neil Hastie serves on the GlobalPSC Executive Committee.

The Australian Government today released a discussion paper which proposes amendments to the regulations governing the administration of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP said the public consultation period offers an opportunity for interested parties to help build on the early success of the scheme.

“The discussion paper is based on the experiences gained during the scheme’s first year of operation and on feedback from the television and computer industry organisations running the scheme,” Ms Rishworth said.

“Given its ground-breaking nature, we commenced the scheme anticipating that operational experiences would identify further opportunities to fine-tune and enhance the scheme as it matured. After twelve months the signs are that the scheme is progressing well, and by monitoring the roll-out closely we’ve been able to identify some enhancements to strengthen it further.”

Through its own analysis, together with broad stakeholder feedback, the government has identified four key areas where the scheme could be further enhanced.

These are:

• better matching of product codes and conversion factors (as assisted by MS2)
• strengthening the capacity of co-regulatory arrangements (including DHL Supply Chain) to manage risk
• simplifying administrative processes for e-waste collection and recycling
• aligning the scheme’s activities more closely with the waste stream and the community’s requirements for recycling.

To address these areas, the government is proposing amendments to the Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers) Regulations 2011, with effect from 1 July 2013.

Ms Rishworth said the government is pleased with the roll out and the initial success of the scheme.

“Since commencing on-ground activity in May 2012, thousands of tonnes of unwanted televisions and computers have already been recycled and over two hundred collection services have been established across Australia.”

“The scheme is achieving what it was set up to do—reduce the amount of e-waste going to landfill by providing householders and small business with free access to recycling services across the country—and these amendments will ensure its continued success.”

As part of a possible second phase of amendments to take place after 30 June 2014, the consultation is also seeking views on whether there is benefit in extending the scope of the scheme to cover similar electronic products, such as home entertainment equipment including video cassette recorders, DVD players, set top boxes, video game consoles and stereo equipment; refining the calculation of the total ‘waste arising’ and further refining product codes and conversion factors.

The discussion paper is available here.

Submissions are due by 7 May and can be submitted to ewaste@environment.gov.au.

Stakeholder forums will be held during April and May 2013 to discuss the proposed amendments. Dates and venues for the stakeholder forums will be available on the department’s website at www.environment.gov.au/ewaste.

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme is industry funded and run, but regulated by the Australian Government under the landmark Product Stewardship Act 2011.

Information from media release by The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP dated 17 April 2013 titled Amendments to National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme released for public comment.