| Reduce, reuse and recycle. It’s an environmental mantra ingrained into our social conscience and easy enough to follow for a pop can or newspaper. But what about the broken or out-of-date electronic stuff that clutters basements and attics?
The Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) estimates that 190,000 televisions and 90,000 computers will be thrown out this year. If those machines end up in Alberta’s landfills, an estimated 380 tonnes of lead, mercury and other hazardous materials from this equipment could leach out into the soil.
Consumers have to remember that there are options other than the local landfill for getting rid of old electronic junk.
For instance, it can be reused. There are associations and companies that will take electronic equipment off your hands and find a new use for it. One such organization is the Electronic Recycling Association of Alberta (ERA), which has been in operation for two years. It accepts electronic donations from individuals, as well as from companies.
"I saw stuff being smashed in landfills and thought, this stuff can still be used," says Bojan Paduh, president of ERA.
ERA collects all kinds of electronics – old, new or broken. They repair what they can and donate the equipment to charity. What they don’t donate, they sell to brokers and manufacturers, or send off for recycling.
Currently, ERA is collecting electronic equipment for several charities, including the Red Cross, to help establish emergency relief stations, and the Dominica Project, whose aim is to provide computers to students in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
ERA also donates computers to the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre’s Computers for Low Income Calgarians Program (CLIC). This program provides home computers to low income families and individuals in the city.
Bruno Gagne, IT manager at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, says that in the past two months, the centre has given out about 75 computers through the CLIC program.
"It makes a difference for students and families with kids," says Gagne. "They use computers at school, but they go home and don’t have anything to do their homework or research on. It’s also good for the elderly who want a computer to learn on or to use it for a hobby."
Paduh says they receive requests from all over the world for donations of electronics, especially computers.
"We received a request the other day from Nigeria for computers for schools there," he says. "But until we get more stuff in, it’s hard to help everyone."
Many of the computers discarded in Canada are still useful. ERA says companies often decommission relatively new computers in favour of more up-to-date systems. Pentium computers are often discarded, but they can be reused somewhere else.
"Just because it’s obsolete here, doesn’t mean it’s obsolete somewhere else," says Chal Hale, a volunteer with ERA. "One man’s garbage is another man’s gold."
Albertans can also have their electronics recycled. The Alberta government, through ARMA, implemented a new electronic recycling program in October. As part of the program, a new fee, called the advanced disposal surcharge (ADS), will be added to the price of some electronics beginning February 1, 2005, to cover the costs of recycling. Kari Veno, communications manager at ARMA, says this is the first program of its kind in the country.
"We found in polls that Albertans support the new fee, provided they know what the money is used for," says Veno. "The fees will go back to the municipalities – it’s a self sustaining program."
The fees apply to new electronics only, and will be added to the price of selected electronics by the retailer, supplier or manufacturer. The additional fee will range anywhere from $5 for a laptop or notebook, to $45 for a 46-inch-screen TV.
A percentage of the ADS will go back to municipalities to cover the costs of collecting electronic materials. Many municipalities in Alberta have permanent drop-off points where people can leave their electronics. Right now, the City of Calgary has seasonal roundups, but Mike Saley, manager of strategic planning and diversion with Calgary’s waste and recycling services, says that, with the new electronics fee and funding from ARMA, the city plans to establish permanent depots and expand the type of electronics collected.
"Right now, the program is limited to only some electronic equipment," says Saley. "It’s a new program and there is hope this first phase will work, and then there will be an investigation to make the list more comprehensive."
Electronic recycling is now a viable option, but experts stress that recycling should be the last stage for old electronics.
"The saying is ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,’ in that order," says Saley. "Recycling is important, but there are two steps above that. We’re treating the symptom – the waste. It’s our responsibility as Calgarians to make good choices that help us deal with waste."
Kari Veno of ARMA stresses that the intention of the electronic recycling program is not to take electronics out of the cycle of use.
"We are concerned with end-of-life products," says Veno. "We are all accountable to make sure (our electronics) are going to the right channels." |
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