HP's Planet Partners take-back program has previously only been open to commercial and enterprise customers. Under the expanded scheme, private and SME customers will be able to take HP-branded hardware to any of ten drop-off centres around the country.

These centres will be located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Central Coast, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Details of the locations will be published on HP's web site.

"The environment is top of mind for consumers and businesses today and we know that many of our customers have end-of-life IT equipment stored in their homes or offices, waiting for an opportunity to dispose of it," said Kok Wah Boey, environmental manager, HP South Pacific.

"HP believes in the shared responsibility of producers and customers in handling end-of-life products in an environmentally responsible way."

Items accepted by the drop-off centres include desktop and notebook computers, printers, fax machines, handheld devices, monitors, batteries, and associated external components such as keyboards, mice and cables.

Products must not have been dismantled or contaminated, and monitors must not be broken.

In related news, HP recently held a recycling weekend in conjunction with Dick Smith stores in Penrith and Parramatta (Sydney). 3228kg of equipment from a variety of manufacturers was returned for recycling.