The group, founded by a consortium of recycling and environmental advocates last month, will press Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) proposals calling for state and federal governments to mandate IT equipment take-back which, so far according to the group, have fallen on deaf ears.

Group member and Sims Recycling Solutions Pty Ltd. Victoria Manager Rick Wakelin said the federal government should lead the way by providing customs data that would allow computer importers to be tracked.

"The federal government holds the key to making a computer recycling program work [by] providing essential customs data that will let state regulators track computer importers," Wakelin said.

"The computer industry is too fractured to pull agreement together on this issue. If individual companies operate their own schemes, there will be no economies of scale, consumers will be confused and recycling will remain expensive, [which is why] government leadership is overdue."

Sims Recycling Solutions General Manager Peter Netchaef said governments have rejected industry proposals because they do not address historical or orphan equipment - no-name products or computers from manufacturers which have closed down, despite previous promises to include these products.