Australia needs to develop new policies and ratings systems to help reduce the environmental effects of e-waste, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) said earlier this week.
Specifically, the ACS suggested the federal government and the ICT industry introduce a ‘Take Back’ policy for domestic and commercial ICT manufacturers and broaden the Energy Star Rating Standards to encompass a broader range of products.
ACS president Kumar Parakala said the two initiatives would take care of existing e-waste problems, and prevent future e-waste problems from occurring.
“We are recommending a prevention and cure approach — encompassing a take back policy to help reduce the volume of e-waste and broadening of the government’s proposed Energy Rating System Policy to drive more energy-efficient technology products and assist in long-term reduction of emissions,” he said.
The suggested take back policy would require ICT manufacturers to repossess old hardware when an organisation purchases new hardware. The old hardware could then be dismantled, reconditioned and recycled for future use.
The existing star rating system for energy efficiency would be expanded to cover commercial ICT equipment and a greater range of household equipment. More efficient products last longer, the ACS said, and therefore less e-waste is produced in the long term.
The ACS suggested manufacturers consider the following technologies to improve efficiency:
- Server virtualisation
- Desktop virtualisation
- IP telephony
- Automated power control
- Sleep mode on workstations
“We are looking at the bigger picture, with improved efficient technologies we are minimising environmental impacts, at the same time as extending ICT hardware life spans and reducing long-term e-waste,” Parakala said.
