Province preparing e-waste program
For the London Free Press – August 25, 2008
Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) recently received ministerial go-ahead for its Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment Program Plan (WEEE) under the Waste Diversion Act.
As outlined on their website (www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca), OES is a “not-for-profit organization formed by leading retail, information technology and consumer electronic companies” to offer the e-waste program.
Ontarians will now be able to take the phrase “reduce, reuse and recycle” to a new level.
With WEEE, the OES is encouraging Ontario residents to dispose of useful electronics by taking them to a refurbishment group, and to direct their “end-of-life” electronics to processors that abide by strict environmental, health and safety standards.
The program will be implemented in phases. Beginning next spring, Phase 1 targets large electronic equipment, such as portable computers, monitors and TVs. Phase 2 will focus on smaller equipment, such as phones, cameras and audiovisual gear.
The Environment Ministry says Ontario consumers and businesses throw out 90,000 tonnes of old computers, printers and TVs each year. In five years, that’s expected to rise to 123,000 tonnes.
The program hopes to divert 17,000 tonnes of computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, TVs, cellphones and other electronic devices from landfills in its first year. Its goal is a 75,000-tonne-a-year rate by the end of the fifth year.
OES will offer 420 drop-off locations in year one, growing to 650 by year five. This is a significant increase from the current 167 drop-off locations.
The WEEE program’s objectives include:
- Doubling the current Ontario recycling rate while diverting toxic materials from landfills.
- Informing Ontario residents about WEEE through a provincewide education campaign.
- Tracking and auditing dropped-off equipment from point of collection to final destination to monitor program performance.
- Undertaking research to expand the program.
In promoting its e-waste program, OES has stressed it will ensure that industry covers all program costs. Brand owners, first importers and assemblers will pay fees to OES — an estimated $62 million in Year 1 — which the group will use to run the program. No money will go to government coffers.
While one of the program’s stated goals is to shift disposal costs from those throwing out e-waste to those producing it, the practical reality is that fees — about $10 for a TV, $13 for a PC — will be passed on to buyers of electronic devices at the end of the day.
It upsets me how Canada is so far behind the U.S. when it comes to recycling. In Florida where we winter, we put all electronics at the curb beside our regular garbage. The garbage truck people put a tag on it and give the address to the electronic recyclers who come by and pick it up later. And Canada is just looking at 650 depots in 5 years!!! Half the people in this town are too lazy to even put out their blue boxes and have their recyclables in their regular garbage. They should refuse to pick up recyclables in regular garbage.
Comment by Louise — August 26, 2008 @ 8:54 am
I don’t understand why people in the City of London complain when they are “only” allowed to put out 4 or 5 bags of trash. In Middlesex Centre, just outside London, garbage is only collected if it has a garbage tag stuck to it that costs $1.75. Most people there put out more recycling than garbage – and usually only 1 bag of garbage.
Comment by David Canton — August 26, 2008 @ 9:03 am
The Ontario Electronic Stewardship plan is a lengthy document which details a system to assist the province in diverting up to 60% of e-waste from landfills for proper recycling and disposal.
Great notion – but one question remains unanswered – what’s in it for the public? In a time of ever rising fuel costs, the authors of the plan assume that the public will flock to depots to drop off their obsolete technology.
For those who are forward thinking & green minded, this assumption may prove to be correct – however as with other statistics, these people are only a portion of the bell curve of society. For those who care greatly about Earth-friendly initiatives, there are equal numbers of those who don’t. And then, there is the average person who given a convenient option may or may not choose to participate in ecological efforts.
What’s lacking in the OES plan – and all other provincial e-waste diversion initiatives – is consideration of “What’s In It For Me” from the consumer’s perspective. Nowhere in the plan is there consideration for the consumer’s gasoline, time, or labour in moving heavy and awkward items to places for proper disposal.
Also missing from the plan are details about who will police solid waste sent to transfer stations, who will intercept and separate e-waste from other forms of trash, and what such labour would cost.
Of course, one should not criticize if they are unwilling or unable to suggest an alternative. Finding a better program is well within reach though – a trip to The Beer Store reveals how passionate consumers are about participating in recycling programs – when there’s something to be gained.
By collecting a $0.10 bottle deposit, Brewer’s Retail has been able to collect and reuse 99% of industry standard beer bottles 12 to 15 times each. And they’ve been able to collect and transport 100,000 tonnes of beer packaging each year from over 17,500 establishments. Surely, if Ontario beer consumers will make the trip to The Beer Store to get $2.40 back per case of beer, there is something to be learned and applied to the e-waste crisis.
While e-waste is certainly more sophisticated and concerning than simple beer bottles, the principle of deposit and refund is not something that should be ignored.
Proposed “Advance Disposal Fees” charged on the sale of a new PC vary from $2 to $13 depending on the component but there is still no incentive for consumers to comply with the program once the fee is paid. Without convenient collection or adequate incentives, this may just be another “Sin Tax.”
By increasing the proposed fees to encompass a deposit & refund program, the 60% target could not only be achieved but likely surpassed.
Comment by Patrick Hebert, Thriftopia.com — September 15, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
Interesting point. Many people will indeed just throw their electronics in the trash rather then recycling them. It has to be simple and easy – or come with an incentive.
Comment by David Canton — September 16, 2008 @ 7:27 am