Dealing With E-Waste
When you’re upgrading, switching or growing out of, consider what happens to that old office equipment.
By Stephen Douglas
It seems every time you turn around your state-of-the art computer or phone isn’t the latest or greatest. And so, every year we upgrade and millions of computers are suddenly rendered obsolete.
Imagine the millions – billions of old computers lining closets, holding doors open, collecting dust under desks or simply buried in local landfills. The numbers may vary but the story’s the same with phones, televisions, stereos, small appliances and other electronic devices.
What we do with old computers and electronic devices has serious consequences on our health and environment. Computer and electronic equipment contains materials that can pollute the water we drink and the air we breathe. E-waste is hazardous waste and should be dealt with carefully and efficiently.
Hazardous E-waste includes:
• computer monitors, keyboards, hard drives and accessories
• mainframe, mini computers and laptops
• scanners
• telephones and pagers (mobile/cellular and “hardwire”)
• radios and stereos (without speakers)
• digital cameras and printers
• video game systems and games
• fax machines
• VCRs
Your old colour monitor contains one to two kilograms of lead. The back lighting in your new flat-screen LCD television contains up to 50 grams of mercury. Both are encased in PVC plastic, which produces deadly dioxins and furans. That same plastic also contains brominated flame retardants - neurotoxins that are now showing up in alarming rates among Great Lakes shorebirds. Other members of this toxic cocktail include copper, aluminium, iron, zinc, arsenic, mercury and phosphorus.
Environment Canada estimates that 1.1 tonnes of mercury, 4.4 tonnes of cadmium, and 4750 tonnes of lead are disposed of in computer waste across the country each year. Yes, within your innocuous computer lies a tangled web of toxicity. Your computer is a virtual storehouse of hazardous materials.
When it’s time to upgrade?
Over the past several years, the green movement has influenced a number of companies who are now more conscious of manufacturing processes and their post-consumer responsibility. For a list and rating of different computer companies, please see www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up
E-waste doesn’t have to be a waste.
The first thing we should think about when upgrading or getting rid of old systems is whether there’s a worthy cause that could make use of it. Schools, charities and other non-profit organizations are usually a good choice.
The Electronics Recycling Association provides depots where you can drop off old computers and electronics. For more information, go to www.era.ca/donations/recycling/index.html
Here are just a few more options when it comes to computers you no longer need:
• Computers for Schools: http://cfs-ope.ic.gc.ca
• Reboot Canada: http://www.reboot.on.ca
• Computer Aid International is a non-profit supplier of computers to developing countries: www.computer-aid.org
Others, such as World Computer Exchange, refurbish and send the equipment overseas to developing countries. But be wary. Choose your recycling company wisely because some of them send equipment to countries where recycling is cheaper because fewer safeguards are in place. Do your research. We’re no better off if we protect our own environment at the expense of the environment in other countries.
In Markham, you can drop off your e-waste at the e-waste depot on Rodick Road, south of Miller Avenue. The depot is open on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
