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Electronic Waste
Continual improvements in technology and increased consumerism mean that there are always new models on the market, resulting in people regularly updating their computers, mobile phones, printers and appliances. Quite often the old technology collects dust in cupboards and sheds, eventually ending up in landfill.
Computer and other electronic equipment is made up of several components, some containing toxic chemicals that become hazardous if dumped in landfill. Every year, a huge amount of this equipment is disposed of when it could be reused or recycled. Old circuit boards, RAM and central processing units can be reused and metal, plastic and other materials can be recycled. Alternatively, charities and schools often need refurbished computers.
Council encourages the community to dispose of their obsolete electronic items responsibly as part of existing recycling and recovery initiatives.
Computer Recycling
When dumped in our landfills, the materials and chemicals components used to make computer equipment can leach into, and harm, our environment.
Donating your old computers is a great way to help the community and to reduce the environmental impact. Residents can donate their old computers, from home or from the workplace, to a range of organisations. For more information, visit
Give Now – a not-for-profit online giving portal.
Alternatively, Byte Back is a free service available to residents and small business owners in Victoria who want to dispose of unwanted, old and unused computers in a safe and environmentally responsible way.
Personal computer systems including desktops, laptops, computer mice, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, computer power supplies, printed circuit boards, motherboards, network and memory cards, disk and CD drives are all accepted.
Items that can not be accepted include: joysticks, play stations, electronic games, software, digital cameras, electronic equipment, TVs, videos, hi-fi equipment, mobile phones, printer cartridges and copiers.
Drop off your computers at the City of Boroondara Waste Transfer Station, 648 Riversdale Road, Camberwell (Melway ref: 60 B1). Byteback is open weekdays from 1pm-4pm and weekends from 8am-4pm.
Mobile Phone Recycling
There are more than 16 million mobile phones stashed away in cupboards and drawers when more than 90% of the plastics and metals in mobile phones, batteries and accessories recovered during recycling can be turned into jewellery, stainless steel products and plastic fence posts.
Mobile Muster is the official national recycling program of the mobile phone industry in Australia. Initiated voluntarily by the telecommunications industry in 1999, its overall aim is to prevent mobile phones ending up in landfill.
The program collects and recycles mobile phone handsets, batteries and accessories from a network of more than 2000 mobile phone retailers, local councils, government agencies and businesses drop off points across Australia.
Please note, Council does not collect mobiles from residents.
Battery Recycling
Each year in Australia, about 7000 tonnes of household batteries contaminate the environment by ending up in landfill. Make a difference by dropping off your household batteries for recycling at Council’s battery collection points:
- Recycling and Waste Centre, corner Burwood Highway and Morack Road, Vermont South
- Whitehorse Civic Centre, 379-397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
- Box Hill Service Centre, Box Hill Town Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
Council recycles all domestic alkaline batteries up to the size of a 9 volt battery (single use and rechargeable) free of charge including: Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion). This service is only available for residential household batteries and not for commercial battery recycling or for commercial quantities of household batteries. Council will not accept leaking batteries or non-domestic alkaline batteries (no car batteries or other commercial batteries).
Light Globe Recycling
Residents can dispose of incandescent light globes at Council’s three services centres in Nunawading, Box Hill and Forest Hill and at the Recycling and Waste Transfer Centre in Vermont South.
The old-style, pear-shaped incandescent light globes are being phased out in favour of energy-saving compact fluorescent light globes. CMA EcoCycle, a light globe recycling organisation based in Campbellfield, collects the light globes from Council and recycles most of the components.
Please take used or unwanted incandescent light globes to:
- Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre, corner of Burwood Highway and Morack Road, Vermont South
- Whitehorse Civic Centre, 379-397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
- Box Hill Service Centre, Box Hill Town Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
- Forest Hill Service Centre, Shop 130, Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, Canterbury Road,
Forest Hill