Got an old television, cell phone, tablet or computer gathering dust on a shelf somewhere in your home?
The folks at the Electronics Products Recycling Association (EPRA) would dearly love to take it off your hands and put it to good use.
No, they’re not going to fire it up.
They’re going to pick it apart; take out all the constituent components including glass, plastic and metals like aluminum, copper and silver; break them down and put them back into the manufacturing supply chain to create new products.
“We recycle everything,” said EPRA spokesperson Gayleen Creelman in an interview October 14. “The components that go back into the manufacturing chain may be used to make other electronic products, but not always. They could be used to make anything from chairs to jewelry, or used for industrial applications.
“The sky is the limit.”
With October 19-25 designated Waste Reduction Week, it’s an ideal time to recycle your old electronics.
The EPRA is a non-profit organization mandated by provincial environmental legislation and funded by industry in every province across Canada, said Creelman.
“It’s not subsidized by taxpayers at all,” she said. “The cost of recycling is included in the price of the product through an environmental handling fee charged to the consumer at the point of sale.”
Creelman said in every province, the Ministry of Environment has specific regulations with respect to what are called extended producer responsibility programs.
“The EPRA manages that program in nine provinces,” said Creelman. “Saskatchewan was the first province to have an industry-led program in 2007.
“Manufacturers and distributors of electronic devices are required by regulation to have a recycling program for material they sell into the market.
“So when a product reaches its ‘end-of-life’ usefulness, it can then be collected, transported and processed at no cost to the taxpayer.”
Creelman said there are 95 locations throughout Saskatchewan where electronics can be dropped off for recycling. These include SARCAN recycling facilities in Warman, Martensville, Waldheim, Rosthern and Saskatoon; the Loraas-owned private landfill near Martensville; and also several electronics retail stores. The full list of drop-off locations is available online at the EPRA website (www.recyclemyelectronics.ca).
Creelman said since 2007 when the program started in Saskatchewan, residents and businesses in the province have recycled over 37,000 tonnes of electronic waste.
“That’s all material that has been diverted from landfills,” said Creelman. “That’s a positive for the environment, because in a landfill, the components of electronic products don’t break down; and there is the potential for contamination because some of those very much older products contain things like mercury and lead. So we remove those substances of concern before they are mishandled, and recover lead and mercury safely so they can be reused.”
Creelman said the whole purpose of recycling is to recover natural resources.
“Even glass, metal and plastic originally come from natural resources in the earth,” said Creelman. “By recycling, we restore those elements back to a state where they can be re-used again. Then we don’t have to rely so much on mining. It’s more cost-effective in many ways.”
Creelman said the first stage of the recycling process involves shipping the material to processors in western Canada where they break down the material. From there the components are sent to manufacturers around the world.
Creelman said the recycling program is aimed at ‘end-of-life’ products that are either not working or otherwise have no further use.
“If you have an old phone or tablet that is still working and is in good shape but you’re not using it anymore, then you should consider re-purposing it; such as donating it to a school, library or charitable organization so it can be used by someone else,” said Creelman. “Obviously, you want to ensure you remove all your data and personal information from it first before you donate it.
“The manufacturer can show you ways to do that.”
She noted that privacy is also protected during the recycling process.
“What we want for recycling is the stuff that’s outlived its usefulness as a consumer product. We don’t assess the condition of the product being dropped off.
“Once you drop it off, it goes straight to the processor where it’s dismantled and shredded, thereby protecting your privacy.”
Creelman said all processors go through an approval process by the EPRA and must be certified to international standards designed by the electronics industry.
She noted the EPRA Saskatchewan website has a “learning hub full of videos, games and quizzes” that offer families an opportunity to learn about electronics and natural resources.
“It has an interactive page called the ‘My Electronics Mobile Classroom’ that explains how tablets and cell phones actually work by showing you the different layers inside them,” said Creelman. “It demonstrates how a touch screen works, and other fun stuff.”