At the close of 2023, Urban Miners successfully diverted 59,935 kg of e-waste from landfill since operations began in December 2020. This is similar to the weight of an Airbus A321.
This does not include the weight of refurbished and repurposed goods and devices sold at the Cambridge Market or donated to local not-for-profits, which tips the tonnage well over 60 tonnes.
These latest numbers reveal the considerable impact that Urban Miners are having on cutting e-waste in the Waipā District.
Urban Miners collect e-waste from the community at monthly collection events held in Cambridge and Te Awamutu.
Attendance at these e-waste collection events has increased steadily since operations started, with a record 93 vehicles dropping off e-waste at a single collection event in Cambridge in September last year.
Collected e-waste is processed and dismantled into basic components by volunteers at the Urban Miners depot in Cambridge.
Increased dismantling of e-waste has allowed significant reductions in the fees charged to the public and has helped reduce cost as a barrier to accessing their recycling services.
Urban Miners are gradually getting more of the community engaged with recycling their e-waste, but there is still more work to do.
Every New Zealander produces about 20 kg of e-waste each year. Waipā currently has a population of about 60,500 people meaning that the district produces about 1,200,000 kg of e-waste each year.
