WA E-Waste Landfill Ban: What Businesses Need to Know

Western Australia’s e-waste to landfill ban has been in force since 1 July 2024. For businesses, public entities and e-waste service providers, that means regulated electrical and electronic waste needs a compliant recovery pathway rather than disposal to landfill.

The WA Government updated its guidance on 1 July 2026 and says it now expects businesses and public entities to demonstrate reasonable efforts to comply with the ban.

Who does the WA e-waste landfill ban apply to?

The Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (e-waste) Regulations 2024 prohibit regulated e-waste being disposed of to landfill by e-waste service providers, significant business or public entities, and landfill operators. Households are not obligated under the ban, although they are encouraged to use appropriate e-waste drop-off and recycling pathways.

Examples identified by the WA Government include computers, mobile phones, televisions, batteries, light globes and fluorescent tubes, large white goods and professional medical devices. The complete regulated list and current requirements should always be checked against the Regulations and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation guidance.

What should an organisation do with end-of-life IT equipment?

1. Separate e-waste from general waste. Do not treat retired computers, servers, storage devices and other regulated electronics as ordinary landfill waste.
2. Identify data-bearing assets. Devices containing organisational or personal information should follow a documented data sanitisation or destruction process before reuse or recycling.
3. Use a documented recovery pathway. Maintain records showing where assets went and how they were processed.
4. Keep an asset and chain-of-custody record. Serial-level inventory, collection records, sanitisation evidence and recycling outcomes make internal and external audits easier.
5. Retain certificates and reports. Your evidence should match the service actually performed and the organisation’s information-security requirements.

AS 5377:2022 and responsible e-waste management

The WA Government states that the e-waste regulations refer to AS 5377:2022 — Management of electrical and electronic equipment for re-use or recycling. The standard addresses the collection, storage, transport, preparation for reuse and treatment of e-waste.

WA Government CUARWD2025

The WA Government’s Recycling and Waste Redirection CUARWD2025 arrangement includes e-waste sanitisation, recycling and destruction within Category A resource recovery and recycling services. The current government supplier table lists Recycle IT as a Category A contractor.

For organisations using the CUA, check the current WA Government contract page and price schedule for scope, eligibility and service details.

How Recycle IT can help

Recycle IT Australia provides e-waste recycling, secure data sanitisation and destruction, collection, asset tracking and audit reporting. For a collection or project-specific scope, request a quote.

Official sources

• WA Government — E-waste to landfill ban in WA
• WA Government — E-waste landfill ban FAQs
• WA Government — Recycling and Waste Redirection CUARWD2025

This article provides general information, not legal advice. Organisations should check the current Regulations and WA Government guidance for obligations that apply to their circumstances.