More than 80 per cent of British Columbians have at least one end-of-life electronic device at home.
If you’ll be giving or receiving high-tech gadgets this Christmas, you might be wondering what to do with those obsolete items.
The Electronic Products Recycling Association of BC wants you to bring old devices to an authorized drop-off location to ensure they get recycled safely and securely.
Since the program started in 2007, approximately 190,000 metric tonnes of electronics have been recycled.
That means every year, more than three million devices are diverted from landfills and our environment.
Recycling also allows valuable materials to be used in the manufacturing of new products.
So, what types of consumer electronics can be recycled? Just about all of them: Computers, phones, televisions, printers, typewriters, DVD players, home stereos, video cameras and keyboards.
Even electric guitars, large ride-on toys, point-of-sale terminals and certain types of medical equipment are recyclable.
A handy list of accepted items is available at RecycleMyElectronics.ca/bc.
E-recycling tips for Christmas:
1. Recycle your old electronics – No matter how old, most products with a battery or plug can be recycled.
To find an accredited drop-off centre near you, visit RecycleMyElectronics.ca/bc and enter your postal code.
Ninety-eight per cent of B.C.’s urban population is within 30 minutes of a recycling depot. In fact, there are over 250 collection locations throughout the province;
2. Reuse – If your electronic items are not at the end of their useful life, consider giving them to family and friends.
For instance, an old computer might still serve as a functional web browser, and an outdated mobile phone could be repurposed as a music player or gaming device;
3. Donate – Your old desktop or laptop computer might be useful to a non-profit organization.
EPRA recommends the BC Technology for Learning Society, which runs the Computers for Schools program.
They are an EPRA-verified non-profit that distributes refurbished IT equipment to schools, charities and libraries.
A short video “What happens to end-of-life electronics?” tells the story of how devices are recycled – from initial drop-off to audited processing and materials harvesting.
