What actually happens to your e-waste after we collect it

"We recycle it" is easy to say. Here's the actual chain of custody for the electronic waste we collect across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney.

TVs, computers and monitors

These are covered by the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS). We route them to NTCRS co-regulatory partners, where they're dismantled — glass, circuit boards, metals and plastics separated and sent to specialist processors. Nothing goes to landfill as a whole unit.

Hard drives and data

Business and home-office devices get a NIST 800-88 compliant data wipe with a certificate per device. Drives that can't be wiped are physically shredded. For ITAD work we record serial numbers, condition and recovery destination.

Batteries

Lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries never ride in a mixed load — they're bunded for transport and go to Envirostream or Ecobatt. Loose or damaged lithium cells are on our red list because of fire risk; we'll point you to the nearest council drop-off.

Solar panels

Intact panels are collected at ground level and sent to PV Industries or Sircel for material recovery, with a certificate of recovery. Broken or crushed panels are regulated waste and quoted separately. Australia is on track for a million tonnes of end-of-life panels by 2035, and the federal Solar Panel Recycling Pilot starts mid-2026 — this stream only grows.

Metals, mattresses and furniture

Scrap metal goes to Sims. Mattresses go to a dedicated mattress recycler where the springs become steel and the foam is recovered. Reusable furniture goes to charity partners when the condition allows.

The recovery report

Within 24 hours of pickup you get a written report: what was collected, where each stream went, and the percentage diverted from landfill. It's the same report for a single TV or a full office decommission. E-waste recycling pickup has the details, or book a pickup.

Published 14 October 2026 · Junkbird Pty Ltd · Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney