Waste not, want not: Forté’s e-waste recycling

Forté Health has diverted 178kg of e-waste from landfill – while giving back to the community at the same time.

The Forté Sustainability Team recently dropped off 325 pieces of e-waste to their friends at Kilmarnock Enterprises including obsolete power adaptors, keyboards, screens and computer mice.

Kilmarnock Enterprises, a social enterprise in Ōtautahi, gives purposeful work and support to people with disabilities. Their recycling division creates meaningful jobs for people with intellectual disabilities, as they carefully dismantle and recycle electronics and salvage metals, electronic components and more.  

Aligning with Forté Health’s values and strategic priorities, Forté Sustainability Lead Laura Hercus says it was a no brainer to recycle their e-waste through Kilmarnock.

“By working alongside Kilmarnock we are meeting our sustainability goals while supporting this incredible social enterprise, which has such a positive impact on our community.

“We are also contributing to a circular economy – keeping precious metals found in keyboards and tech circulating so they can be reused again,” Laura says.

E-waste can contain nasty chemicals, which are a threat to our environment. Recycling of e-waste ensures these nasties don’t end up in landfill.

“While being good for the planet, recycling also makes good business sense,” Laura says. “By working with local community recyclers, such as Kilmarnock, we are ensuring 80% of earnings are going back into our local economy. It’s also six times cheaper to dispose of recycled waste than general refuse.”

Laura says the recycled e-waste is in good hands.

“There are some clever secondary markets popping up that reuse these metals, like New Zealand-grown MINT Innovation – they use bacteria to extract gold!”

Forté Health is New Zealand’s first Net Carbon Zero hospital, as certified by Toitū.

“Sustainability is one of Forté’s core values. From our very beginnings we have led the way in offering a sustainable approach to healthcare. For us it’s not just about providing the best care to our patients – it's about caring for our planet at the same time.”

Find out more about Forté Health’s sustainability journey here.