Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre

I was not able to get to the Recycling Centre due to COVID-19 restrictions, so it took a lot of work in order to get the necessary data. I called up the centre several times, and the one who answered always directed me to email the E-Waste Centre. This often resulted in nothing. However, I have finally received data!

The Centre receives a wide variety of material; mainly televisions, computers and peripherals; basically anything with a plug they receive. The Centre typically receives approx. 490kg of material per day; this waste is generated by households in the Hornsby Shire area.

E-Waste is produced because people choose to dispose of their devices rather than repair them, as well as manufacturers deliberately shortening product lifespans and targeting ads at consumers to convince them to buy the latest device. E-Waste sent there is taken to a facility in Sydney in which the materials are sorted into types and processed in order to recover materials. These materials are used to make new products. This reduces the need to mine for new materials. Typical Australian households produce 73kg of E-Waste each year.

Products could last longer if they were taken better care of by their owners; such as using a case and screen protector. My exceptional care means the majority of the phones currently residing in The iPhone Sanctuary are 5+ years old, with the oldest one being 12 years old. The phones at the sanctuary also get repaired when possible; if more people learnt phone repairs, they would keep their devices for longer. Most of the phones are iPhones, which are high quality phones. High quality products are meant to last, and renting is better than buying for a product that'll only be used sparingly.

The best devices for long term usage are ones that are easily repairable by average people, such as the FairPhone.