AIIA toasts Byteback program launch

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has welcomed the launch of the Byteback computer disposal initiative in Victoria.

The program is being launched by Sustainability Victoria in partnership with AIIA and other computer and printer manufacturers such as Apple, Canon, Dell, Epson, Fujitsu, Fuji-Xerox, HP, IBM, Lenovo, and Lexmark.

Building on the initial Byteback trial run by Sustainability Victoria and HP in Camberwell, Victoria, Byteback will expand to include nine Victorian sites and will run until the end of 2008.

Sheryle Moon, chief executive officer at the AIIA, said: “It’s great to see some of our industry’s biggest names working alongside government to keep old computers out of landfill.

"Byteback is an Australian first because of its cooperative nature, and learnings from Byteback will help the industry prepare for a national approach to disposing of computer equipment responsibly.”

Moon said the AIIA is pleased that Byteback will be free to the public and small businesses and gives people the opportunity to dispose of unwanted computer equipment in a responsible way.

“The industry partners will cover the cost of transporting and recycling their branded equipment and AIIA is fully supportive of their willingness to address environmental concerns. We are already in advanced talks with other major players to join the founding partners and we are actively encouraging other industry members to participate,” added Moon.

“We are also exploring another tier of participants – large non-technology organisations who, by their nature, generate significant levels of computer waste. These may include government departments, major banks and financial services companies.”

AIIA added it is committed to supporting environmentally sustainable policies and practices for the ICT industry. On 18 October, the Association will host a ‘Sustainable Futures Forum’ in Melbourne to explore how ICT can solve the world’s environmental challenges.