ACT E-Waste Recycling Guide | How to Dispose of Electronics in Canberra

E-waste recycling in Canberra is free for most common electronics. Televisions, computers, monitors and printers are collected at no charge under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) at both ACT Resource Management Centres. Mobile phones are recycled free through MobileMuster. Batteries are free at over 50 B-Cycle drop-off points. A 15-item limit applies per visit at Resource Management Centres. Electronics must never go in kerbside bins or landfill in the ACT.

Australia generates approximately 583,000 tonnes of e-waste each year, equivalent to 22.4 kilograms per person — nearly three times the global average of 7.8 kilograms. The ACT Government requires all electronic waste to be handled through approved recycling programs rather than disposed of in landfill or kerbside bins. This guide covers every option available to Canberra residents and businesses in 2026: free drop-off locations, which items qualify, what happens to recycled electronics, and how to protect data before disposal.

What Is E-Waste and Why Must It Be Recycled Separately?

E-waste is any discarded product with a battery, plug or power cord that is no longer wanted or functional. This definition, established under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, covers items including computers, televisions, mobile phones, tablets, printers, gaming consoles, kitchen appliances, power tools, electric toothbrushes and cordless vacuum cleaners.

Electronics contain hazardous substances that cause environmental and health damage when disposed of in landfill. The hazardous materials found in common electronic devices include:

• Lead — found in cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and monitors; causes neurological damage in humans and persists in soil for decades
• Mercury — present in LCD backlights and some switches; toxic to kidneys and the nervous system
• Cadmium — used in rechargeable batteries and semiconductors; classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
• Lithium — embedded in rechargeable batteries across phones, laptops and power tools; causes fires when crushed or punctured in standard waste trucks
• Flame retardants — applied to circuit boards and plastic casings; can disrupt hormonal systems and accumulate in food chains
• Refrigerants (HCFCs and HFCs) — present in air conditioners and refrigerators; deplete the ozone layer and contribute to greenhouse warming

Electronics also contain recoverable valuable materials. A single tonne of mobile phones contains approximately 350 grams of gold, 3.5 kilograms of silver and 130 kilograms of copper — concentrations 40 to 50 times higher than the richest natural ore deposits. Recycling e-waste through certified programs recovers these materials for reuse in manufacturing, reducing the need for new mining.

What E-Waste Can Canberra Residents Recycle for Free?

Most common e-waste categories are free to recycle in Canberra through one or more approved programs. The following table shows the main categories, which program covers them, and where to drop them off.

Note on the 15-item limit: A keyboard, mouse and monitor together count as one item toward the 15-item limit at ACT Resource Management Centres. The limit applies per person per visit, not per household per year.

Where to Recycle E-Waste for Free in Canberra

ACT Resource Management Centres

Canberra has 2 Resource Management Centres — commonly called ‘the tip’ — that accept the widest range of e-waste at no charge. Both are open 7:30am to 5:00pm, 7 days a week, excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day. All vehicles must pass over a weighbridge on entry.

• Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre — Mugga Lane, Symonston ACT 2609
• Mitchell Resource Management Centre — Flemington Road, Mitchell ACT 2911

At both centres, residents can drop off televisions, computers and accessories, printers, tablets, gaming consoles, small electrical appliances, batteries and white goods at no charge. Mattresses and some other items attract a separate fee. A registered vehicle is required to access both sites — bicycles and pedestrians cannot pass over the weighbridge.

TechCollect Drop-Off Points

TechCollect is a not-for-profit e-waste program established under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS), introduced by the Australian Government in 2011 under the Product Stewardship Act. TechCollect has recycled more than 274,000 tonnes of e-waste since its inception and covers computers, computer accessories and televisions at no cost to households and small businesses.

TechCollect drop-off points in Canberra are located at participating retailers and councils. Items accepted include desktops, laptops, tablets, monitors, keyboards, mice, computer cables, printers and televisions. Gaming consoles and mobile phones are not covered under the NTCRS and are not accepted at all TechCollect sites.

MobileMuster for Mobile Phones

Mobile phones, chargers, batteries and accessories are recycled free through MobileMuster, a government-accredited program supported by Australian mobile carriers and manufacturers. MobileMuster operates collection points at Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi and major phone retailers across Canberra. The program recovers 99% of materials from each phone, including gold, silver, copper and aluminium.

Mobile phones should have personal data wiped before being deposited at a MobileMuster collection point. A factory reset alone does not guarantee secure data erasure — see the data security section below for the correct procedure.

B-Cycle for Batteries

Household batteries must never go in kerbside bins or general waste bags. When compressed in waste trucks, batteries can spark fires that destroy vehicles and injure collection workers. B-Cycle operates over 50 free drop-off points across Canberra, located in supermarkets, hardware stores and community centres. All battery types are accepted including alkaline, lithium, NiMH, NiCd and button batteries.

Goodies Junction for Working Electronics

Electronics in working condition can be donated to Goodies Junction, a reuse facility operated by St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) at both the Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres. Donated items are sold at low prices to community members. Goodies Junction accepts computers, televisions and small appliances in good working order. Items must be clean and functional — damaged or non-working items are not accepted for donation.

RecycleSmart Doorstep Collection

RecycleSmart operates a doorstep pickup service for difficult-to-recycle materials including e-waste, soft plastics, batteries and textiles. The ‘Power Pickup’ service collects over 100 hard-to-recycle material types from Canberra homes and businesses. RecycleSmart has diverted more than 900,000 kilograms of materials from landfill since its establishment. Fees apply for the pickup service.

What the NTCRS Covers and What It Does Not

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS), operating under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, is the primary free e-waste recycling program in Australia. Understanding what the scheme covers prevents residents from making trips to drop-off points with items that are not accepted.

The NTCRS mandates that recyclers achieve a 90% material recovery rate. All recycling under the scheme must be carried out by organisations certified to the AS/NZS 5377 standard for collection, storage, transport and treatment of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.

How to Wipe Your Data Before Recycling Electronics

A factory reset does not permanently erase data from a computer or phone. Standard deletion and factory resets mark storage space as available but leave data recoverable using freely available software. Before handing any device to a recycling program, residents and businesses should follow the correct data destruction steps for each device type.

Computers and Laptops

For hard disk drives (HDD), use a dedicated data wiping tool such as DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke), which overwrites all data using a 3-pass or 7-pass DoD 5220.22-M overwrite standard. For solid-state drives (SSD), manufacturer-specific secure erase tools are required because DBAN is not effective on flash storage — use the SSD manufacturer’s utility or a tool such as Eraser or Blancco. Physically destroying the drive (drilling through the platters or bending the circuit board) is an alternative for devices where data security is critical.

Mobile Phones and Tablets

Before recycling a mobile phone, sign out of all accounts (Apple ID, Google Account), remove the SIM card, remove any external storage cards, then perform a factory reset. On Android, enable full-disk encryption before the factory reset for an additional security layer. On iPhone, ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ from Settings is sufficient for devices running iOS 8 or later, as Apple encrypts all data by default.

Business and Government Requirements

Businesses in the ACT that handle personal data are subject to the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and must ensure data is permanently destroyed before electronics are recycled. Failure to properly wipe devices before disposal constitutes a data breach risk that can result in penalties under the Privacy Act. Businesses requiring certified destruction should use a NAID AAA-certified provider who supplies a destruction certificate as proof of compliance.

What Happens to E-Waste After It Is Collected in Canberra?

Collected e-waste undergoes a 4-stage processing chain: collection and sorting, manual and automated dismantling, material recovery, and hazardous material processing. The process differs by item type and the facility handling it, but all NTCRS-certified recyclers must meet the AS/NZS 5377 standard and achieve a 90% material recovery rate.

• Stage 1 — Sorting: Items are sorted by type and material composition. Batteries are separated immediately because they pose fire risks during processing.
• Stage 2 — Dismantling: Trained workers manually disassemble devices to separate valuable components from hazardous ones. Some facilities use automated shredding systems for low-risk materials.
• Stage 3 — Material recovery: Copper, aluminium, gold, silver and steel are extracted and sold as raw materials for new manufacturing. Plastics are sorted by resin type and processed separately.
• Stage 4 — Hazardous processing: Lead, mercury, cadmium and refrigerants are separated and sent to specialist hazardous waste facilities. These materials cannot be recovered for reuse and require containment to prevent environmental leaching.

The urban mining value of e-waste is significant. One tonne of printed circuit boards contains between 100 and 250 grams of gold — the same weight of gold ore requires processing 5 to 15 tonnes of rock to produce. The Australian Government’s 2022 review estimated that properly recycled e-waste generates material value worth approximately $2.1 billion annually in Australia.

E-Waste Obligations for Businesses in the ACT

Businesses operating in the ACT are legally required to recycle electronic waste through registered programs under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. This requirement applies to all businesses regardless of size. Illegal dumping of e-waste is subject to fines under ACT law.

What Free Programs Cover Business E-Waste

The NTCRS free services apply to small and medium businesses as well as households. Large businesses or high-volume commercial operations may not qualify for free collection under the NTCRS and should engage certified commercial e-waste recyclers. The ACT Government’s Recyclopaedia database lists current accepted items and program eligibility for businesses.

Data Destruction Documentation

Government departments, healthcare providers, legal firms and financial services businesses are required to maintain records of IT asset disposal under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and relevant sector-specific regulations. A destruction certificate from a certified recycler serves as evidence of compliant disposal. The certificate should record the device serial number, destruction method, date of destruction and the name of the certifying facility.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Australia’s product stewardship framework, established by the Product Stewardship Act 2011, requires electronics manufacturers and importers to fund the collection and recycling of their products at end of life. As of 2026, the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 has expanded these obligations. Businesses that manufacture or import electronic products into Australia above defined volume thresholds must join an approved co-regulatory arrangement such as the Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP), which operates the TechCollect program.

Frequently Asked Questions About E-Waste Recycling in Canberra

Can I put electronics in my recycling bin in Canberra?

No. Electronics must never go in kerbside recycling or general waste bins in the ACT. Electronics contain hazardous materials including lead, mercury and lithium that cause fires in waste collection trucks and contaminate landfill. All electronics must be taken to a Mugga Lane or Mitchell Resource Management Centre or deposited at a program-specific drop-off point such as TechCollect, MobileMuster or B-Cycle.

Is e-waste recycling free in Canberra?

Most e-waste is free to recycle in Canberra. Televisions, computers, monitors, printers and IT peripherals are free under the NTCRS at both ACT Resource Management Centres, with a limit of 15 items per person per visit. Mobile phones are free via MobileMuster collection points at participating retailers. Household batteries are free via over 50 B-Cycle drop-off points. Some specialised recycling and all doorstep collection services attract fees.

Where can I recycle my old phone in Canberra?

Old mobile phones are recycled free through MobileMuster. Collection points are located at Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi and major phone retailers across Canberra. The MobileMuster program recovers 99% of materials from each phone, including gold, silver, copper and aluminium. Phones should be factory reset and accounts signed out before depositing them.

What happens to e-waste when it is recycled?

Recycled e-waste is dismantled, sorted and processed into material streams. Valuable metals including gold, silver, copper and aluminium are recovered and sold as raw materials for new product manufacturing. Hazardous materials including lead, mercury and cadmium are separated and processed at specialist containment facilities. The NTCRS mandates a 90% material recovery rate for all certified recyclers operating under the scheme.

Do businesses in the ACT have to recycle e-waste?

Yes. Businesses in the ACT are legally required to recycle electronic waste through registered programs under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. Before any device disposal, all sensitive data must be permanently erased — a factory reset alone is insufficient. Large businesses and high-volume operations should engage certified commercial e-waste recyclers who can supply destruction certificates for compliance documentation.

How do I wipe my data before recycling a computer?

A factory reset does not permanently erase data. For hard disk drives, use a dedicated overwrite tool such as DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke) with a 3-pass DoD 5220.22-M wipe. For solid-state drives, use the manufacturer’s secure erase utility. Physical destruction of the drive (drilling or bending) guarantees irrecoverability. Businesses requiring certified data destruction should use a NAID AAA-certified provider and obtain a destruction certificate.