BY ERIN UNGER
A RESOURCE IN WASTE
Erin Unger is program manager for the Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement.
RECYCLING ELECTRONICS IN CANADA In our current linear, consumption-based economy we move on quickly from old products that were once shiny and new. Old being a relative term in IT, the average laptop only lasts for five years before it’s relegated to e-waste. E-waste is the informal term for electronic products (e-products) that have reached their “end-of-life.” Common e-waste products include computers, televisions, copiers, fax machines, cell phones and printers. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that about 50 million tonnes of e-waste are produced globally each year. Of those 50 million tonnes, only 15 to 20 per cent is recycled; the rest ends up in landfills and incinerators. The 80 to 85 per cent of unrecycled e-waste is both a liability and a resource as valuable materials can be extracted from products at their end-of-life. Unrecycled e-waste that is disposed of through landfills and incinerators can have serious impacts on the environment; toxic materials such as heavy metals, flame retardants, and other pollutants can leach into the soil, water and air and cause irreparable damage to the surrounding ecosystems. The obvious risks aside, the opportunity cost of unrecycled e-product 8 AUGUST 2021
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materials like palladium, gold, silver, copper, platinum and other recoverable materials was estimated at over $80 billion dollars in 2017. RECYCLING CENTRES Of all e-products designated for recycling, it is estimated that 50 to 80 per cent of it is exported to nations such as China, India and the Philippines where health and safety standards may not be as strong and direct handling of toxic materials may take place. In some unregulated recycling centres, e-products are sorted and separated for their materials through chemical processes and incineration, which releases pollutants that are harmful to local communities and workers. There are safe, local methods for recovering these materials through certified recycling facilities that provide e-products with a second chance at life and minimize hazards for workers. In these regulated recycling centres, e-products are dismantled and sorted into plastics and metals. In most recycling processes a magnet can be used to recover valuable metals, and water separation technology can separate metals from plastics. Plastics are shredded mechanically, circuit boards are disassembled, metals are sorted, and it is all sold as SUPPLY PROFESSIONAL
2021-08-04 11:38 AM
