Ontario to launch electronics waste recycling program

The Ontario government will launch the first phase of its Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) recycling program this spring, but some observers says the initiative will do little to encourage manufacturers to be "e-green." Ontario's Waste Diversion Act is currently being revamped to include extended producer responsibility (EPR) - a concept that places greater onus on manufacturers to design electronic products that can be more easily disposed of or can have their life cycle extended through upgrades. Barb McConnell, a spokesperson for Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES), which has a mandate to implement WEEE, explains the plan requires brand owners, first importers, franchisors, and assemblers to pay fees for electrical and electronic equipment supplied to Ontario. OES will use the collected fees to operate the WEEE program, which is estimated to cost $62 million in its first year. OES has a goal to divert 17,000 new tonnes of electronic waste from landfills in the first year. Phase 1 of WEEE addresses desktop and portable computers, computer peripherals, monitors, printers, fax machines and televisions. Phase II will target materials such as phones, cameras and audiovisual equipment, and will follow 12 months after approval of the first phase. OES will be responsible for collecting electronic waste, monitoring disposal, as well as auditing where the materials end up. "This will ensure that they are not shipped off indiscriminately to places where the same standards are not in place," says McConnell. "Any collection site must enter an agreement with OES and report back to us." Alberta has taken the approach of charging consumers at the point of sale through an advance disposal charge. Other provinces such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia have all implemented electronic waste recycling programs. Quebec and New Brunswick are planning to implement such programs in the future. Electronic waste management falls under provincial jurisdiction, but in June 2007, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment agreed to develop Canada-wide principles for EPR, noting programs should provide incentives to producers to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products. Jennifer Agnolin, an associate with Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP in Toronto, isn't sure that Ontario's WEEE will get the job done when it comes to ensuring electronics manufacturers follow the EPR practices, and she fears that Ontario will adopt Alberta's approach of charging consumers a levy on electronic products at the point of sale. "That, in and of itself, might not meet the definition of extended producer responsibility. I think that should be a focus of WEEE," she tells Tech Media Reports. Still, WEEE and other provincial electronic waste recycling programs are necessary because heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead found in many electronics products end up in landfills or are sent overseas where they are probably not disposed of in an environmentally-friendly fashion, according to Agnolin. Consumers will be able to visit the OES website to find the closest location to drop off unwanted electronic waste. The non-profit organization will also engage in mass media campaigns to promote the program to consumers. "We anticipate that there is a lot of legacy material out there, and we expect that will afford people an opportunity to take materials to collection sites," says McConnell. "We expect we will see a peak in the first year of the program." The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association is also doing its part to promote the safe disposal of cell phones, launching a national mobile phone recycling program in January. The initiative lets customers drop off their cell phones and other wireless devices at one of 3,500 drop-off locations across the country. Moreover, companies like Dell are instituting take-back programs of old electronic equipment. Maureen Carter-Whitney, research director for the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy in Toronto, applauds the fact that municipalities will not have to invest dollars in the implementation of the WEEE program in Ontario and says the availability of collection sites will be integral to whether the program takes off. "In terms of the success of programs like these, accessibility and ease for the consumer are key," she contends. In 2004, approximately 14,586,000 household appliances, information technology equipment, telecommunications gear, and audio-visual equipment were discarded in Ontario. Only 1,325,000 of these units (9.1%) were collected for reuse or recycling.

Ontario to launch electronics waste recycling program

News | 02/05/2009 6:15 pm EST

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