Ten people have lost their jobs after The Mai-Wel Group’s e-waste management contract was not renewed.
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Mai-Wel provided an e-waste recycling service directly to Hunter Resource Recovery, run by Hunter Councils, between 2009 and 2013.
A new system was introduced last year that meant HRR contracted its waste management to DHL Logistics, which sub-contracted its e-waste processing to Mai-Wel.
But DHL has ditched Mai-Wel in favour of Sydney-based company Matthews Metals from next month.
This has led to job losses and the closure of Mai-Wel’s e-waste program.
Mai-Wel CEO Pennie Kearney said the organisation had pursued other contracts for e-waste management and similar work, but was unsuccessful.
Ms Kearney said two of the 12 able-bodied employees were retained, but 10 were offered redundancies.
She said 24 people with disabilities who had worked on the e-waste program would be reassigned to one of Mai-Wel’s other projects.
“Our manager has been fantastic, he has been very philosophical,” she said.
“Even the people who are not losing their jobs are disappointed at losing the position they had.
“While some companies focus on making money when they sign contracts, our whole focus is giving jobs to people with disabilities.”
Employees would collect unwanted equipment from Hunter businesses such as computers, printers, televisions and other electrical products that could be dissembled and recycled them as part of the initiative.
Ms Kearney said Mai-Wel was a bystander to a certain point in negotiations between HRR and waste management companies during contract talks.
“The councils have supported Mai-Wel the whole way through,” she said.
A Maitland City Council spokesman said council’s e-waste drop-off service at the Mount Vincent Waste Management Centre would not be affected by the changes.
