E-waste
How to recycle E-waste with Us
You can bring your e-waste to us to be recycled, for a small fee. These fees cover processing costs, and go a long way to helping make Auckland a healthier, waste-free place to live. Thank you for your contribution as well as making the effort to recycle your e-waste.
Laptops that are less than ten years old, and come with a charger will be sent to RAD (Recycle a Device) to be refurbished. Any data will be wiped, and the laptop will be used to teach rangatahi the skills to refurbish, and extract parts where refurbishment isn’t an option. Refurbished laptops are then gifted to individuals and whānau who need them the most, through RA’D’s partnerships with schools and community organisations across Aotearoa.
All other items are sent to Echo Tech (formerly Computer Recycling), which reuses, repurposes and recycles a range of e-waste. Data is securely destroyed, then devices that are still in working order are sold or redistributed where they are needed most, with proceeds going to charities like us. Items that are not suitable for re-use are then dismantled, for recycling locally or with accredited overseas recycling centres.
When and where to drop off
Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 2pm (closed on public holidays)
EcoMatters Resource Recovery Depot: Unit I, 22 Moselle Ave, Henderson 0610
Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am to 2pm (closed on public holidays)
EcoMatters Store: 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn, Auckland.
Sorry, we can’t accept large appliances, such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, dryers, and extra large TVs. See the below table for alternative drop off locations.
Please remove all polystyrene, plastic bags, boxes and any other packaging from your drop-offs as we don’t have the capacity to recycle these.
For other items you can recycle with us, such as curtains, razors, toothbrushes and more, please visit our recycling page.
Some e-waste items we can’t accept at EcoMatters can be taken direct to Echo Tech at 5 Southpark Place, Penrose, or to one of their community e-waste collection days (see here).
What it costs to recycle E-waste with us
| E-Waste Item | Cost (including GST) |
| Prices from 5 August 2024, subject to change | |
| Screens | |
| CRT TVs | $40 |
| Flat Screen TVs & Monitors up to 24" | $10 |
| Flat Screen TVs & Monitors 25" - 43" | $20 |
| Flat Screen TVs & Monitors 44" - 65" | $30 |
| Flat Screen TVs & Monitors over 65" | Sorry, we can't take these - they can be taken directly to EchoTech or check for local community drop-off days |
| Other e-waste | |
| Tablets / DVD / VCR / Speakers / Stereos | $5 each |
| Desktops / Laptop / Hard drives (Hard drive erasure is done on any laptop or desktop before dismantling by EchoTech - no certificate or proof is provided) | $5 each |
| Laptop batteries | $7.50 per kg |
| Laptops less than 10 years old in good condition with power cable (these will be data erased and repurposed - no certificate or proof is provided) | $5 each |
| Mobile Phones | Free |
| Landline phones / Keyboards / Modems / Routers | $2 each |
| Wires and Cables | $1.50 per kg |
| Other e-waste items not mentioned above | $1.50 per kg |
| Secure Data Erasure | |
| Hard Drive Shredding or Erasing - proof is provided by EchoTech | $18 |
| Serial Capture per Hard Drive - proof is provided by EchoTech | $3 |
| Certificate of Destruction per Hard Drive (contains full details of the Hard Drive) by EchoTech | $80 per order which can be multiple devices |
| Data erasure per Hard Drive - proof is provided by EcoMatters IT | $30 |
| Household Appliances | |
| Small Printers, Scanners, Fax Machines | $10 |
| Medium Printers, Scanners (photocopiers) | $30 |
| Small Items (kettle, toaster, hair dryers, irons, food processors, fan heaters) | $5 |
| Medium Items (vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers, microwaves) | $10 |
| Oil heaters - small (5-9 fin) | $20 |
| Oil heaters - large (10-11 fin) | $25 |
| Large or heavy appliances over 30kg | Sorry, we can't take these - they can be taken directly to EchoTech or check for local community drop-off days |
| Batteries | |
| Mixed Batteries | $6 per kg |
| Lead Acid - Car Batteries | Sorry, we can't take these - they can be taken directly to Repco or EchoTech or check for local community drop-off days |
| Light Bulbs | |
| All household light bulbs | $2 per bulb (LED or fluro) |
| Fluorescent tubes | Sorry, we can't take these - they can be taken directly to EchoTech or check for local community drop-off days |
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Electrical items, such as appliances or vacuum cleaners, that are still in working order can also be taken to a Community Recycling Centre near you, where it can be resold for use by someone else. Check Auckland Council’s How To Get Rid of Unwanted Items web page for more information on recycling options.
WHAT IS E-WASTE?
E-waste is a universally agreed upon term for electrical or electronic equipment that has been or will soon be thrown away. This includes both working and broken items. There are many good reasons to keep this growing waste material out of landfill, but one of the most important reasons is that these items are full of toxic chemicals that leak out from the metal components inside, once in the ground. New Zealand produces about 80,000 tonnes of e-waste a year, yet is reported to recycle a mere 2% of it. This is why your efforts, along with EcoMatters and our e-waste partners, are so important for our taiao (natural environment) and our hapori (community).