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FAQ

  • What is emeals?
    emeals is an exciting new collaboration between the team at Ecoactiv and the team at PonyUp for Good. It is the first program of its type - turning your old electronics into fresh meals!
  • What items can I have collected from my house?
    Ecoactiv offers a wide range of items for home collection and recycling. Some popular categories include: Apple Products, Computers and Tablets, Computer Parts, Monitors, Phones and Other Devices, Printers, Scanners, Consumables, Storage and Memory and Televisions. You can also arrange for a collection on other items too. Please note that these items may incur a small fee. Go to letsgo.ecoactiv.com.au/emeals to see all categories and items.
  • What information will I receive from my booking?
    At the end of your booking, you will receive two impact statements: 1) the amount of waste in kilograms you'll be diverting from landfill and 2) the number of meals you'll be donating through SecondBite. At the end of the process, you'll also be emailed a confirmation with important packaging instructions and the connotes (labels) to stick on your packages.
  • Where does emeals collect from?
    The program is national and available to households all across Australia. We collect from both metro and regional suburbs in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, SA, TAS and NT.
  • Why food waste? Why food rescue?
    The Australian Government estimates food waste costs the Australian economy $20 billion each year. Currently, 5 million tonnes of food ends up as landfill, that’s enough to fill 8,400 Olympic sized swimming pools. When organic waste is dumped into landfill, it undergoes anaerobic decomposition (because of the lack of oxygen) and generates methane, which is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Meanwhile the latest figures reveal more than 5 million people in Australia experience food insecurity at least once in the course of a year. SecondBite exists to make sure that good food is getting to people who need it most, rather than to landfill. With Australia's recent bushfires and the COVID crisis, basic access to fresh food has become more important than ever before and impacts many people in every community.
  • Why can't I throw e-waste in the bin?
    Putting e-waste into your rubbish bin or any other receptacle destined for landfill is illegal in both Victoria and South Australia and other states are working towards this ban too. Over 90% of e-waste can be recycled to reclaim precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, tin, copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc and aluminium. Once in landfill toxic chemicals including lead, mercury, cadmium, barium & lithium leach into our soil & waterways causing decades of damage. Besides, now there is an easy way to have it collected from your home and feed people in need at the same time - so why wouldn't you?
  • How are tech2 involved?
    tech2 is our proud new program partner. Through this partnership, tech2's existing and new technology support customers as well as at-home installation customers will have an easy way to responsibly dispose of their old electronics and contribute to SecondBite. As part of their launch, they're offering to their existing customers free collections on a range of computer and IT items until the 14 September 2020. Visit: letsgo.ecoactiv.com.au/tech2 to start your booking.
  • How big of a problem is e-waste?
    E-waste is growing up to three times faster than general municipal waste across Australia. It covers a range of items including televisions, desktops, laptops, printers and mobile phones. Globally the amount making its way to landfill is increasing each year and is expected to pass 52 million tonnes per year by 2021. Electronic waste is responsible for 70% of the toxic chemicals found in our landfills and waterways, such as lead, cadmium and mercury. So yes, we’d say it’s a super significant problem - and with this program, we are now collectively all part of the solution!
  • How do I go about booking my collection?
    Simply: 1. Go to https://letsgo.ecoactiv.com.au/emeals 2. Create a list of all the items you want to recycle on the Ecoactiv platform 3. Enter where these items are located 4. Choose to have everything picked up or customise your own disposal service 5. Enter when you want it picked up or when you intend on dropping it off 6. Check out and wait for the labelling instructions which will be emailed to you
  • How do I know the recyclers are reputable?
    Ecoactiv prides itself of partnering with 100% on-shore recyclers. They undertake a rigorous assessment and auditing process with each recycler - from receipt of item to destruction and certification. All Ecoativ recycling providers are certified and comply with Australian and international standards (AS/NZS:5377 and ISO 14001:2015).
  • How much does it cost?
    As part of our launch, we are offering FREE at home IT collections for a limited time. Items such as televisions, computers, laptops, monitors and keyboards can be recycled at no cost to the customer. Other items, such as white goods, appliances and batteries may incur a fee, depending on the weight, size and the requested collection method. The best way to see how much a booking may cost is to create a list on the Ecoactiv platform, enter in your address and select from the recycling options available.
  • Who is Ecoactiv?
    Ecoactiv combines technology and reverse logistics to offer consumers a better way to give their old items, new life and participate in enabling a circular economy. The brand is part of The Activ Group, which is the largest independent supply chain and sustainability provider in Asia Pacific, focusing on full product lifecycle. The company works with brands, retailers, manufacturers and councils to design, implement and manage product stewardship and recovery solutions across all categories - from electronics to paint and more. You can learn more about Ecoactiv via the following links: www.ecoactiv.com.auwww.activgroup.io
  • Who is PonyUp for Good?
    PonyUp for Good is a social enterprise. They work with some of Australia's biggest businesses to turn retired technology into meals for people in need and have already diverted 170,000 kilos of technology from landfill and used its residual value to feed more than 350,000 people across Australia. emeals is the first program of its kind, which provides a public service to turn technology into meals for those in need. You can read more on the PonyUp for Good website. https://www.ponyupforgood.com/
  • Who is SecondBite?
    SecondBite is Australia's largest fresh food rescue charity, redistributing fresh surplus food donated by farmers, wholesalers, markets, supermarkets, caterers and events to more than 1400 community food programs on the frontline of food poverty around Australia. They started more than ten years ago and now have operations in every state and territory of Australia. Last year alone, SecondBite rescued 19.4 million kilograms of nutritious food. That's 38 million healthy meals for vulnerable people, including homeless, women and families in crisis centres, youth at risk, indigenous communities, asylum seekers and new arrivals to Australia. Throughout Australia, SecondBite currently feed upwards of 110,000 people every day of the week. https://www.secondbite.org/
  • Can I track my items?
    You can track where your items are in the recycling journey with an Ecoactiv account. Simply use the same email as your booking and create a password and log into the Ecoactiv Platform to track where your items.
  • Will COVID-19 impact my collection?
    To keep staff, customers and the wider public safe, Ecoactiv have increased the safety of their service in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their collection service is still on-going, and their collection team are practising safe pickups, which means they will not be entering home premises and won’t make physical contact with customers. Simply tell them where you will leave your packaged items and they will collect, transport and process them.
  • Do I need to package up my items for collection?
    Yes, every item - big or small - needs to be packaged. Sending your old or unwanted items to be recycled is different from putting it out on the kerbside for landfill. It is important your item arrives at the recycler intact to maximise its recyclability. In addition, the OH&S of the people handling and transporting your items is a priority and the trucks that your items will be transported in are shared with other people’s parcels… not rubbish! You will receive instructions on how to separate and / or package your items through or after the booking process in an email. It is important that you read this carefully and follow the packaging and labelling instructions. Some items can share a box, while others must be separated because they're either going to go to different processing facilities or are hazardous in nature (e.g. batteries). For items that cannot fit in a box, such as a fridge or a TV, you will need to either shrink wrap multiple times so no sharp edges can puncture through. If you're uncertain of what to do following from reading the instructions, please email generalenquiries@ecoactiv.com.au and a customer service representative will guide you.

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