TAMWORTH’S new E-waste facility, which officially opened yesterday, is proof of what can happen when an idea has legs.
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The concept for the site was born about four years ago when Joblink Plus chief executive Chris Sheppard read about a similar idea in one of the Sunday papers.
After three years of research and discussions with council about the project and if it could work, yesterday’s green ribbon cutting marked a significant step for the city for a number of reasons.
Not only is the E-waste facility a first for the city in terms of offering a place where electronic waste can be broken down for recycling, it is also the first social enterprise project for Tamworth created by Joblink Plus.
During yesterday’s opening Mr Sheppard said for him, the benefits of the facility were for a greater purpose.
“It’s about creating confidence in people who have been long-term unemployed, giving them skills and setting them up to be able to grasp a full-time working opportunity with qualifications they wouldn’t have otherwise had,” he said.
“The other benefit is that the E-waste facility has been designed to be self-sustaining. It won’t be reliant on government funding so the models in place here won’t change because of legislation. We believe this means that the facility has a long life span.”
Long-term unemployed people in Joblink’s programs will spend between three and 12 months at the E-waste facility, learning everything from how to drive a forklift, to warehousing skills.
“During that time they will be able to obtain labouring and other certifications before moving onto other employment.”
Inside the facility, everything ranging from the kitchen toaster, to televisions and computers will be dismantled.
“Plastic taken off computers can be collected and melted down and then sold on to somewhere like China, where it will be used to create new TV covers,” Mr Sheppeard said.
The process, which could be likened to a form of “urban mining” will also see computer chip boards broken down and the nickel and gold sold on for use in other items.
At present the E-waste facility has four trainees – Barry Smith, Ron Winsor, Alastair Risley and Malcolm O’Leary – who work under the guidance of facility manager Mark Chew and supervisor Steve Clayton.
The addition of the E-waste facility is expected to save hundreds of tonnes of landfill each year in the city.
