Creating Perth jobs by recycling old switchboards with disability employment providers

In this article, we are going to showcase how easy it is to create jobs with recycling and how we could all benefit as a community from doing good for our environment.

During this exciting project, the WA largest e-waste recycler has teamed up with a technology provider Downer, and two employment providers for the differently-abled – Maxima & Autism Association of WA.

Downer Group had contacted Total Green Recycling after the recovery of the removed NBN node switchboards had left them with a large number of leftover commodities.

“The opportunity to recycle these materials is a great outcome for the deconstructing of the nodes we work on with NBN. Total Green Recycling have made our disposal process environmentally friendly and efficient.”

The Technology and Communications team have partnered with professional e-waste recycling services, Total Green who have committed to Downer a minimum 90% recovery rate of materials within the switchboards.

As a result, one thousand and five hundred (1,500) switchboards that were destined to end up in landfill helped gain jobs for the disadvantaged.

The team from Total Green trained up employees from Maxima and the Autism Association to strip and separate them into different materials achieving a high recovery rate.

By recycling these materials, Downer and Total Green are avoiding new materials being produced, which creates fossil fuels and also prevent the switchboards from going to a traditional landfill. This initiative has also posed an incredible outcome whereby jobs have been created for some of our differently-abled workforce.

The collection of node parts are then separated and utilised for new products. Materials recovered from the switchboards include brass, copper, stainless steel, polyethylene, nylon, PVC from plastic and polycarbonate.

T&CS General Manager, David MacKenzie says, “The opportunity to recycle these materials is a great outcome for the deconstructing of the nodes we work on with NBN. Total Green Recycling have made our disposal process environmentally friendly and efficient.”

Executive Manager – Employment, Russell Thomas, says, “We value the partnership with Total Green Recycling and Downer, working together to increase employment opportunities for job seekers with Autism”