18 September, 2008 -
Good morning everyone -
It gives me great pleasure to be here today
to officially launch eDay 2008.
First I’d like to thank
everybody involved in the event for their
dedication and hard work in making eDay
a reality. In particular I’d like to acknowledge
Laurence Zwimpfer for his commitment to
this project. I know the logistics of planning
and coordinating such an event at a national
level are significant, and it's really good
to see eDay going ahead again this year,
even bigger and better than before.
With an increasing demand
for consumer electronics, it is no wonder
that electrical and electronic waste is
the fastest growing waste stream in the
world.
eDay was created in
response to a growing concern about the
volume of e-waste being dumped in landfills
around the country with a potentially toxic
effect on the environment.
Recycling e-waste is
an opportunity not only to protect our environment
from potentially hazardous substances, but
to recover and recycle the valuable materials
inside these products.
Did you know that here
in New Zealand over 25 per cent (825,000)
of our mobile phones are no longer being
used? Over 95 per cent of a computer is
recyclable but more than 250,000 unused
computers are stored around New Zealand
homes. eDay provides Kiwi households with
the chance to do the right thing and recycle
their e-waste.
Reducing waste is one
part of our government’s commitment to sustainable
development. As you know, we want to improve
and protect New Zealand's environmental
credentials and we're working on several
fronts to do this, not the least of which
is the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Being eco-friendly is
not just crucial for our way of life and
New Zealand's environment, it's increasingly
important for our export sector too as consumers
worldwide demand climate friendly goods.
And sustainability is
something we have to work on together, as
a partnership between businesses, government,
local authorities and communities. The eDay
initiative is an excellent example of how
computer equipment producers and distributors
work together with local communities to
raise awareness of the potential impacts
e-waste can have on our environment.
Strong partnerships
and community spirit can make any event
a success and it was good to see this year
that eDay organisers Computer Access New
Zealand Trust and 2020 Communications Trust
received a Green Ribbon Award from the Ministry
for the Environment for their efforts in
the community to protect New Zealand’s environment
from e-waste.
The government has partnered
with Computer Access New Zealand and the
2020 Communications Trust to provide past
eDays, and I am pleased the government was
able to support this initiative again this
year by providing $200,000 from the government's
Sustainable Management Fund.
This government is committed
to making a difference with regards to waste.
Reducing harm from some
wastes such as e-waste requires additional
measures throughout a product's life-cycle,
from manufacture and use through to disposal.
We encourage product stewardship as a way
to do this.
Last week parliament
passed the Waste Minimisation Act which
could provide tools to regulate product
stewardship for electronic waste. This would
give the IT and consumer electronics businesses
the confidence they need to ensure those
who take responsibility for the environmental
impacts of their product won't be undercut
by free-riders.
It also provides for
dedicated waste minimisation funding to
assist in developing New Zealand’s recycling
businesses and to encourage people to reduce
waste.
The Ministry for the
Environment has also been working with the
IT and consumer electronics industry to
establish a long-term, sustainable option
for the safe recycling, reuse and disposal
of unwanted IT equipment in New Zealand.
This will mean New Zealanders will be able
to recycle their unwanted equipment when
they need to, rather than just once a year.
eDay provides a welcome
interim solution for households to deal
with their e-waste in an environmentally-responsible
way, but I hope to see industry step up
to develop a longer-term solution to the
e-waste issue in New Zealand.
I strongly urge everyone
with e-waste to support the environment
by taking part in eDay. Through the combined
efforts of communities, local government,
industry, and government we can make eDay
2008 the most successful yet.
Congratulations to all
the individuals and organisations contributing
to this year’s eDay and I look forward to
another positive outcome for 2008.
Thank you
