The campaign will call for a national regulatory framework for the management of electronic waste.

Canberra Environment Centre says 1.6million computers are buried in landfill each year. Left untreated, old computers leak thousands of carcinogenic toxins into the water and soil.

Canberra computer reuse and recycling warehouse Charity Computers will showcase today a more environmentally responsible approach to E-waste management.

At Charity Computers, unwanted computers are received free of charge. Those in good working order are redeveloped for sale, others are rebuilt or broken down into their component parts for re-use or recycling.

Even broken computer cords aren't wasted. They are processed to recover copper.

Charity Computers director David Campbell said, ''We treat recycling as our last-case scenario we would rather reuse.

''We believe computers should have a second life, and we can make that possible.''

No more than 5 per cent of the materials that come to Charity Computers end up in landfill.

But some materials, like glass and plastic, are too expensive for the organisation to recycle because they must be shipped interstate.

National legislation could help Charity Computers overcome such barriers.

''If we can do it nationally, it's a better footprint,'' Mr Campbell said.

He said the cost associated with taking electronic goods for processing was a significant deterrent.

''The average consumer does not want to pay [for E-waste processing], so of course they'll use the local tip,'' Mr Campbell said.

''If we continue to dispose of electronic goods irresponsibly, they could become a serious environmental hazard.''

The E-waste campaign has been prompted by significant increases in the amount of electronic waste, as the lifespan of electronic goods declines.

Canberra Environment Centre director Robin Tennant-Wood said that in the early 1990s, the average lifespan of a computer was about 412 years today it was only two years.

This high turnover had dramatically increased the amount of electronic waste. ''There are ... hazardous materials in computers that should not be going anywhere near landfill, but they are.''