1 Opportunities and Constraints for Developing a Sustainable E-Waste Management System at Local Government Level in Australia.

E-waste refers to both electronic and electrical wastes; that is, any items which rely on an electric current or electromagnetic fields in order to operate and contain a hard-drive or significant electronic components and/or a printed circuit board. According to UNEP, waste from electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is becoming a significant component of the waste stream, increasing at a rate of between three to five percent per annum, outstripping the general growth of the municipal waste stream. Increasingly, smaller and cheaper electronic items are being all too easily disposed of in municipal waste systems and this, coupled with an increase in the number of, and turnover of manufacturers and suppliers to the market, may see Local Governments assuming a key role in the future of e-waste management. A survey of local councils across Australia was undertaken in order to determine the current level of understanding and action on e-waste, and to solicit key responses regarding the identification of areas where improvements could be made. For example, the rationalisation of preferred initiatives for future legislative and funding mechanisms. The survey achieved an overall local government response rate of 35%, acros