In With The New, Recycle The Old!

As electronics get replaced more frequently with newer, shinier ones, recycling of those old electronics is increasingly important. Many organizations, charities & manufacturers have stepped in to prevent electronic waste from entering our landfills.

Having fun playing with your new toys? I know I am. I snagged a great keyboard/mouse combo that was over 50% off. This laser mouse is supposed to work on glass (!) but I have yet to try it out.

In my household, whenever I upgrade, it usually means that things flow up/down to my parents, siblings or friends.

While there’s always Craigslist (the most visited classifieds site in the world), Kijiji, RedFlagDeals or even eBay, when something is finally destined for the trash heap, there are much more environmentally friendly ways of disposing of your electronics.

If your gadget is still is working condition, many charities such as Charity Village (Canadian) will accept electronics.

An unfortunate consequence of the ever-decreasing price (and fast-changing pace of obsolescence) of consumer electronics is the problem of electronic waste. Ontario, like many other provinces instituted a recycling fee to deal with the problem of e-waste. Fortunately, a whole crop of businesses have emerged to deal with processing, reclaiming and recycling electronic waste, which Environment Canada predicts will hit 520,000 tonnes by 2011.

Anything that has to do with electronics, from computers to cellphones to batteries can be recycled. The precious metals, plastics, wiring and other materials that make up our ever-increasing pile of electronics can be processed for reuse.

That snazzy new high-definition TV that’s replacing your old clunky cathode-ray tube typically takes up less space, consumes less power and contains less harmful substances in it. You may have seen a “RoHS” symbol on many new electronics. Manufacturers that participate in this initiative are reducing the use of toxic chemicals such as lead & mercury in their devices and manufacturing. The state of California recently introduced legislation to mandate energy usage by TVs, which they say consumes 10% of residential power.

Most large cities have facilities to deal with electronic waste. Visit your local municipality’s website and search for “electronic waste” or recycling.

Here’s a short list:

Municipal:

• Toronto: http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/depots.htm
  Toronto-based FreeRecycling.ca will pick & recycle, free-of-charge, computers & peripherals.
• Peel/Brampton/Mississauga: http://www.peelregion.ca/pw/waste/crc/acceptable.htm
• Ottawa: http://app01.ottawa.ca/takeitback/ProductList.do?cat_id=2&lang=en
• Edmonton: http://www.edmonton.ca/
• Calgary: http://www.calgary.ca/

Provincial:

• Alberta:  http://www.albertarecycling.ca/
• Saskatchewan:  http://www.sweepit.ca/
• Ontario: http://www.dowhatyoucan.ca/
• Nova Scotia: https://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/waste/ewaste.asp
• Atlantic Canada: http://www.acestewardship.ca/consumers/dropofflocations
• British Columbia: http://www.esabc.ca/cfm/index.cfm

Blakes, a Canadian law firm, has a summary of initiatives throughout Canada.

Many large manufacturers such as HP, Sony & Dell also have free recycling initiatives.

• Sony.ca: http://www.eco.sony.ca/
• Dell: http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dell_recycling?c=ca&l=en&cs=cadhs1
• HP: Electronics recycling (any brand): http://h30248.www3.hp.com/recycle/ca/index.html

Call2Recycle is an organization that recycles rechargeable batteries.

Whatever way you choose to deal with your electronics, there are now a plethora of options that will allow you to do it in a safe, (usually) free, and more importantly, environmentally friendly manner.

Filed Under: Computing > Environment (Green) > Handhelds > Home Electronics > Portable Devices > Tech Trends > Television
Tags: e-waste, electronic waste, electronics, electronics recycling, end-of-life, gadgets, obsolete, recycling