Recycling Electronics

Dawn Howlett is a professional organizer who loves to recycle and promote sustainability.

Following the holidays, a lot of us will have new electronics; the latest kitchen appliances, power tools and personal devices to name a few. If you are like me, you’ve got a stash of over the hill and damaged electronics that you’d like to dispose of responsibly. Luckily there is a program in place to help us recycle and reuse components from these broken items, and we have 2 Island Return It Centres in the Cowichan Valley where we can drop them off.

Island Return It will take a wide variety of items from TVs, computers, medical devices and phones, etc. These are then sorted, palletized and shipped to different specialized EPRA locations (Electronic Producers Recycling Association) throughout Canada. Here reusable components are carefully dismantled by hand, and plastics and metals further machine sorted for recycling, or to be sent back into the manufacturing supply chain. These electronics are not shipped overseas like many of us worry about. We’ve come a long way when it comes to handling broken electronics in a safe and responsible manner. That’s where eco fees come in. We pay a small fee when we purchase a new electronic, which covers the cost of its recycling at the other end, and why we can drop these items off at no cost. The EPRA

Ten Electronics You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

is a regulated non-profit program (not funded by the government).

So, aside from taking care of our electronics so they last longer, the next important piece is keeping them out of the land fill or worse, disposed of irresponsibly (such as burning). Swing by an Island Return It Centre in Duncan or Cobble Hill to unload, and talk to one of their helpful staff if you have questions. Their website also has an extensive list of accepted electronics that can be dropped off for the EPRA program. Please note that anything made with freon (fridges, air conditioners, dehumidifiers) are not accepted.

Making recycling a part of our everyday life is one of those important 1. Electric Toothbrushes 2. Electronic Scales 3. Computer Cables 4. Electric Musical Instruments 5. Amplifiers and Receivers 6. Microscopes 7. Cd players, Turntables, Cds, Cassettes & Vinyl Records 8. Fax machines/ Photocopiers/ Printers & Small Ink Cartridges (No Toners please) 9. Hearing Aids, Blood Pressure Monitors & Thermometers 10. Electronic Key Chain

things we all can do to play our part in a sustainable future. I’m happy to finally have a plan of action for all my finished electronics.