eDay supports Starship Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme

24 January 2011

The eDay New Zealand Trust congratulates Vodafone and Starship on their latest mobile phone recycling appeal and is encouraging New Zealanders to get behind the initiative.

The appeal is calling on people who received a new mobile phone for Christmas to donate their old phone to Starship Hospital. Proceeds from the recycled phones go towards Starship's Air Ambulance Service, which airlifts hundreds of children with life threatening medical illnesses and injuries to Starship every year.

"Vodafone's latest initiative not only helps children with life threatening illnesses but is also good for our environment", said Laurence Zwimpfer, Chairperson of the eDay New Zealand Trust and organiser of the very successful national eDay electronic waste collection events.

While eDay, held on 6 November last year, collected over 2600 mobile phones the primary focus of eDay events are computer waste and organisers encourage New Zealanders to use the Starship initiative for their old mobile phones. This scheme has the advantage that it operates year round.

"We absolutely encourage every New Zealander to use one of the Starship freepost envelopes to return their old phones, said Mr Zwimpfer. "We estimate that 3 million phones are being replaced every year in New Zealand so there is huge potential to raise vital funds for our country's largest children's hospital."

The eDay New Zealand Trust hopes for similar schemes for computer waste.

"Recycling schemes like the Starship one are what we had in mind when we set up eDay in 2006 -schemes that are free and convenient for the end user. We face the same challenge with computers and other electronic waste. Unless it is free and convenient, encouraging good recycling behaviour is going to be an uphill challenge. eDay has helped raised awareness of the issue, but we need to move much more quickly in developing ongoing solutions like the Starship scheme for computers and TV sets," said Mr Zwimpfer.

" Vodafone and the other mobile service providers, Telecom NZ, 2degrees and TelstraClear, have provided real industry leadership with mobile phone recycling and it is great to see other business partners, including ASB, Barfoot & Thompson, Chevron NZ, Mercury Energy, Metrolink, New Zealand Post, TBWA, The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, and Wyatt & Wilson supporting the scheme. It is disappointing that we are not seeing the same leadership and collaboration amongst computer suppliers," concluded Mr Zwimpfer.

The eDay New Zealand Trust was formed in 2010 to focus on the development of sustainable solutions for the recycling of electronic waste. It took over running the annual eDay free recycling event, which in 2010 saw nearly 20,000 cars dropping off over 80,000 items of electronic waste, filling over 160 20' shipping containers. The eDay Trust believes the government must mandate compulsory product stewardship schemes for computer and TV equipment to achieve a truly sustainable outcome.

To support the Starship appeal, mobile phones can be donated at any Vodafone, Telecom NZ or 2degrees store. ParcelPostTM Returns Freepost envelopes can be picked up from any branch of ASB Bank , Barfoot & Thompson , Telecom, The Warehouse or Warehouse Stationery or Vodafone. They can also be sent by freepost to:

FreePost 223107
Starship Mobile Phone Recycling Appeal
Private Bag 208013
Manukau 2161

- Ends

For more information, contact:

Laurence Zwimpfer, eDay Trust Chairperson, 027 430 6737 zwimpfer@xtra.co.nz
Murphy Su'a, Vodafone New Zealand, 021 706 329 murphy.sua@vodafone.com
Andrea Newland, Starship Foundation. 027 688 3100 anewland@adhb.govt.nz