What do an Atari, a Commodore and a typewriter have in common? These items are frequently misplaced in landfills.
According to Environment Canada, more than 140 000 metric tonnes of electronics are wrongfully discarded in landfills each year.
“It is my belief that people want to do the right thing. If we make it easy for people to recycle, they will,” said Linda Ryan, who organizes seven e-waste collections around Hastings county every year.
Ryan is a mother of two, and she often volunteers for the Quinte Christian High School, where her children attend. Parents volunteer to help raise money for extracurricular activities.
“I don’t like baking and I don’t like to do yard sales. It’s my contribution to the school as well as the environment,” said Ryan.
The Government of Canada defines e-waste as “the surplus of electronic and electrical equipment that is not suitable for reuse. In the past 10 years, we have seen the video cassette recorder, or VCR, cathode ray tube televisions and many more become obsolete.
Advances in cellphone, computer and entertainment technologies have resulted in their speedy replacement. Sometimes these products are replaced because of upgrades and not because they don’t work. Cellphones for example, are often replaced after only 18 months of use.
“As people get newer electronics, we don’t see as much of the old stuff. However, it does fall apart more easily and therefore, we are seeing more and more new goods come through our container,” said Ryan.
From 2008 to 2012, according to Statistic Canada, the amount of diverted waste nearly tripled, from around 24,000 tonnes to a little over 71,000 tonnes. Ease of access to diversion programs seems to be a driver for these changes. As programs increase, misplaced landfill waste diminishes.
In 2012, 71,396 tonnes of waste were going to diversion programs. These programs aim to keep harmful waste out of landfills. Diverting used electronics from landfills and incinerators can keep harmful fumes out of the environment. In addition, the proper processing of metals and plastics allows for them to be re-introduction into the manufacturing process.
Iron and steel account for more than 50 per cent of the e-waste substances. Other materials such as plastic make up 21 per cent of the electronic waste. Only 13 per cent of the materials are precious metals such as gold, aluminum, silver and platinum.
The Ontario Electronic Stewardship, or OES, is a not for- profit, industry- led organization that oversees government approved end-of-life electronic recycling program throughout Ontario.
The OES imposes a fee on all products purchased in Ontario. This fee will later contribute to the collection, transportation and recycling of the item. This fees fee is one of the many ways Canadians can ensure less electronics ends end up in landfills.
“We collect it. Then it gets picked up by the shipper, it gets repacked. One of the four processors in Ontario will reorganize it and everything gets dismantled in Ontario. Products either get reused or properly recycled. The money goes back to the province to help with further recycling initiatives,” said Ryan about the process of the junk in her container.
Multiple products require proper disposal, such as expired medication, pesticides, anti-freeze containers, e-waste, etc. Surprisingly, in Ontario, 96.5 per cent of the population live within 10 kilometres of a collection depot.
“People get to looking for these events, which is what we hope for. This is why we plan seven events a year. It gives people the chance to throw out their old accumulated electronics,” said Ryan about her collection events.