Ontarians Urged to Reuse or Recycle Their Old Electronics This Holiday Season

Eighty-five per cent of residents live within 10 kilometres of an e-waste collection site

TORONTO, Dec. 22 /CNW/ - Ontario residents planning to go "out the old, in with the new" when it comes to televisions, computers, cell phones and other electronic gadgets this holiday season are reminded that there is a safe  and environmentally friendly way to divert their unwanted or obsolete electronic waste.

"Electronics are sure to be a popular holiday gift this year, but it's important to remember that these items should never be placed in the garbage. They can contain harmful components that must be properly handled and diverted from landfill," says Carol Hochu, Executive Director of Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES). "The good news is that electronics also contain valuable materials like base and precious metals along with glass and plastics that can be safely recycled to manufacture new products."

Consumers who find themselves with unwanted electronics should do the following:

• Make sure the items are accepted. More than 40 different types of e-waste are accepted through the program, including TVs, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, most office equipment and more. A full list is available at www.recycleyourelectronics.ca.
• Find a convenient drop-off location. The OES program includes more than 600 collection sites, and eighty-five per cent of Ontarians live within 10 kilometres of at least one of them. To locate one near you, visit www.recycleyourelectronics.ca.
• Enjoy peace of mind. Residents are asked to clear their drives and wipe their SIM cards of all information before dropping them off. However, collectors and processors that are part of the OES program adhere to strict guidelines, so from the time it is accepted, electronic waste is managed safely and securely.

Once collected, items are destined for re-use or end-of-life recycling.  In the latter case, valuable commodities such as steel, aluminum, copper, glass and plastic are shredded, smelted or processed as raw materials. Recycled plastics are used to manufacture water pipes, recycled glass is fabricated into new monitors or TVs, and metals can be minted into coins.

About Ontario Electronic Stewardship Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES), a not-for-profit industry organization, oversees the responsible reuse and recycling of waste electronics through a program that includes 600 collection sites across the province. Each Ontario resident and business is encouraged to safely recycle your electronics.

The program was developed with Waste Diversion Ontario on behalf of the Ontario government under the Waste Diversion Act, 2002. The OES electronic waste recycling program accepts 44 items of electronic waste including computers, televisions, DVD players, hand-held devices and more.

For further information:

visit www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca and www.recycleyourelectronics.ca.