Yesterday, they were collected from 14 Dunedin and South Otago schools by technology leasing specialist Equico as part of the Eco initiative aimed at helping schools dispose of old or unused electronic equipment in an environmentally friendly way.
And the pile of e-waste is growing as more is collected from schools in other regions around Otago.
Equico Eco is a free programme designed to improve the sustainability of New Zealand's schools by collecting electronic waste and then disposing of it using accredited recycling technology.
Equico managing-director Paul Beattie said it was the first time the initiative had been run in Dunedin, and follows successful Equico Eco campaigns in Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington and Christchurch, where more than 155 schools participated and more than 45 tonnes of electronic waste was collected.
This included an estimated 1350 desktop PCs, 1210 monitors, 200 laptops and more than 280 printers.
Mr Beattie said electronic waste was one of the fastest growing challenges facing the environment today.
Otago Boys' High School information technology manager Tony Gabbush said it was a great initiative which would give many schools in Dunedin peace of mind that they were disposing of equipment in a sustainable way.
"It's great that someone is looking after e-waste, rather than making it an issue for landfill.
"For schools, it's a positive solution for an issue that all schools face.
"We go through abut 120 to 140 computers every five years. That's a lot of e-waste," he said.
Now that Equico Eco has been established in Dunedin, it would introduced in other regions throughout New Zealand in the next few months, Mr Beattie said.
