Central residents are one step closer to knowing how easy an electronic item is to repair before making a purchase.

A petition signed by 21,000 people was recently delivered to parliament, calling for the introduction of repairability labels on household appliances and electronic devices.

The petition was handed over to Labour MP Hon Rachel Brooking, who is a spokesperson for Environment, Food Safety and Space.

“It’s not sustainable or cost effective to have to purchase a new item if the old one breaks,” she said.

“Our landfills are already stuffed with broken items that are unable to be fixed.”

The Central Otago District Council (CODC) has implemented ways to divert some of those items from landfill, including the launch of an e-waste recycling service at the Alexandra, Cromwell, Ranfurly and Roxburgh transfer stations.

The initiative, launched in February, has so far seen 360 items of electronic waste diverted, ranging from TVs and laptops to household appliances and gaming consoles.

CODC waste minimisation officer Abi Hawkins said that equates to 2.5 tonnes of potentially harmful electronic materials being responsibly processed and recycled, contributing to a more sustainable environment.

“Providing a sustainable way to manage electronic waste aligns with our commitment to reducing landfill use and promoting a better use of resources.”

Council also introduced household battery recycling late last year, which has so far resulted in 381 kilograms sent away for recycling. 

CODC solid waste team leader Lauren Hunter said the success of the battery scheme, which accepts single use and rechargeable batteries of a variety of different chemistries, was particularly important as batteries were a common cause of fires in both collection trucks and landfills.

CODC initially launched the various services over a six-month trial period to help make them more accessible, and also covered transport costs for electronic waste recycling.

It also fully subsidised the battery recycling costs.

The trial will be extended until June 30, 2025, to help continue reducing costs for residents through the waste levy funds provided by the Ministry for the Environment.

“We are really proud of these achievements and the way people have embraced these opportunities. We encourage residents to continue using the available services to contribute to a more sustainable future,” Lauren said.

The next step was to wait and see what result comes from the recent petition, which has been backed by Consumer NZ CEO Jon Duffy.

He has called on all members of parliament to recognise the urgent need for decisive legislative action to tackle the scale of our e-waste issue.

"New Zealanders are tired of replacing products due to minor faults, paying excessive fees for repairs, and being limited by where they can get products repaired,” he said.

Read more: Petition to limit e-waste going to landfill