Diverting electronic waste from landfill goal of Burlington environmental group
Published May 24, 2024 at 5:56 pm
With apologies to Kermit the Frog and his signature tune, it is not easy being green.
As the number of consumer electronic goods produced and purchased each year continues to climb, the challenge is what to do with this stuff when it is no longer useful or needed.
For years it was easy to just throw it all out with the garbage. But that’s not good.
Time has shown that electronics that end up in landfill do not break down and worse, can contaminate the soil.
The key is making sure these items are properly disposed of…but that takes some effort.
So what do you do with all these gizmos you no longer want?
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That’s where BurlingtonGreen comes in.
This Saturday, May 25, the community environmental agency teams up with the Burlington Centre and Tech Genius Burlington Inc. to host a recycling event meant to divert your junk away from the dump and make it a bit easier to go green.
Sue Alksnis, in charge of community engagement for BurlingtonGreen, says electronics can overwhelm us both at home and in the workplace and that these items must be taken care of properly.
“These items really start to pile up,” she says about cell phones, televisions, video game consoles and appliances. “And it’s important that they be disposed of in a way that is good for the environment.”
She went on to say that electronics that find their way into landfill have the potential to contaminate the earth due to the components used to make them.
The toxins in these items leach into the soil, which can end up in our drinking water and the food chain.
“Studies show that plants and vegetation absorb the toxins which is how they get into our food and water supply,” Alksnis continued. “And the effects on humans can be harmful.”
She said recycling also reduces the mining of raw materials used in the creation of electronics and the associated costs of shipping and transporting these goods, which are other environmental benefits.
Tomorrow’s event will take place in the Burlington Centre parking lot (777 Guelph Line) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Crew members from Tech Genius Burlington Inc. will be on-site to accept computer and cell phone electronics, and a series of Terracycle Zero Waste bins will be stationed at the event to accept more unique waste items not currently accepted in Halton Region’s recycling program.
Alksnis says the public has been responding well to these initiatives.
Last time more than 400 people showed up to dispose of their items and more are expected tomorrow.
She says since BurlingtonGreen started this program in 2021 14,405 kg of electronics has been kept out of landfill.
“Through education and the publicity surrounding events like this the public has caught on with people realizing that the extra effort to dispose of items probably is worth it for the sake of our planet,” she says.
Here is a list of items that will be accepted:
- Consumer electronics (gaming consoles, iPods)
- Computers (PC & Mac, monitors. parts, motherboards)
- Handheld devices (smartphones, cell phones, tablets)
- Phone systems, racks and miscellaneous (server racks, lab equipment, disc arrays)
- Printers (inkjet & laserjet, plotters, copiers, scanners, fax machines)
- Peripherals (keyboards, mice, CD/DVD ROMs, cards, speakers, accessories)
- Servers (rackmount, stand-alone, all brands)
- Software (operating system, editing, design)
- Specialty Items (Cisco networking, switches, routers)
- Personal appliances ex: electric toothbrushes or razors
- TVs (not heavyweight)
- Microwaves
- Coffee makers or other small home appliances
Burlington Repair Cafe will be on-site making repairs for those who pre-registered.
You can also donate to the Compassion Society of Halton which is accepting non-perishable food, diapers, toiletries, and cleaning supplies.
Alksnis said BurlingtonGreen also receives some funding from the event through the sale of repurposed recycled material.
And, one final tip from Alksnis concerns our need to constantly upgrade.
“You don’t have to quickly trade up to the newest versions of a product,” she says. “Keep using your phone or laptop as long as possible…it really is good for the environment to keep these items going if they still work.”
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