Earth Day E-Waste Collection Event at Mic Mac Park on Sunday

Protect our planet through the proper recycling of computers and electronics.

WINDSOR, ON, April 23 /CNW/ - On Sunday April 25th from 10AM to 3PM, CAW Local 200 Computers for Kids, will be hosting an e-waste collection event. This event, which is being held at Mic Mac Park, invites residents and businesses of Windsor-Essex to drop-off their unwanted computers, television sets and electronics free of charge.

Due to the increasingly high rate with which we replace our computers and electronic devices, electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world today. It has been estimated by industry experts that the average lifespan for a computer is approximately two years in developed countries. The average lifespan for a cell phone is less than one year. This high turnover rate means very high volumes of waste is continuously being generated.

Unfortunately the proper recycling of e-waste is not commonplace, as less than 15% is recycled in a responsible manner. Commonly it is disposed of in our landfills or shipped overseas to 3rd world countries which do not practice safe recycling methods. If e-waste is not recycled responsibly, it can cause severe harm to our environment as well as cause serious health problems such as cancer. In Ontario, this potential harm can be avoided by ensuring all such equipment is disposed of only at approved collectors under the Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES).

A Windsor, Ontario charity is fighting to overcome this important environmental issue through the collection and proper recycling of these unwanted and potentially toxic items. Computers for Kids, Charitable Status Number 86000 1437 RR0001, is an approved collector under OES, which is a province-wide recycling program. All unusable equipment the charity collects is shipped to recyclers within Canada. These certified processors fully recycle the equipment in an environmentally safe manner. Whether the equipment is placed with a young person, or recycled through OES, your donation will benefit disadvantaged and at-risk youth locally.

The charity is proud to be partnering with the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) to hold a collection at the annual Earth Day celebration. They hope this collection event will help raise awareness to the environmental issues we currently face with electronics. "We all need to step up and do our part to ensure our environment is protected from undue harm," said Chris Davies, Computers for Kids Executive Director. "By choosing to donate your unwanted equipment to us, you do your part to better our planet while also enabling us to continue to provide young people in our area with computer access to better their education."

With generous support and hard work from many donors and volunteers, Computers for Kids has been able to recycle over 2.5 million pounds of e-waste and donate over 1,500 computers to young people over the past six years.

Computers for Kids accepts equipment donations year round. To drop off your items, visit Computers for Kids anytime between 9:00AM - 6:00PM Monday through Friday and 9:00am-3pm on Saturday. They are located at 4150 Sandwich St., Windsor, Ontario.

About Computers for Kids:

Computers for Kids was founded in January of 2004 with the vision of providing refurbished computer systems to children who may not otherwise have access to one outside of school. Since then, the organization has helped one child at a time, growing to provide public computer learning centres as well as becoming a full service computer and electronics recycler.

For further information: Rob McLean, President; Chris Davies, Executive Director; CAW Local 200 Computers for Kids, (519) 253-KIDS (5437), www.cfkcanada.org