Out with the old, in with the reused
Annual Recycle my Electronics Campaign kicks off Oct.20
The Association pour le recyclage des produits électroniques du Québec (Arpe-québec) will be hosting the Semaine Québécoise de réduction des déchets (Quebec Waste Reduction Week), from Oct. 20 to Oct. 28. Arpe-québec therefore invites all Quebecers to participate in its large electronic waste collection program, Recycle my Electronics. There are more than 1,000 collection points in Quebec in various ecocentres, retail stores, and university campuses. Several waste collection events are also organized throughout the province alongside the municipalities and various partners. For example, on October 27th and 28th, all Quebec Brault & Martineau locations will organize a collection event.
The campaign accepts devices of all kinds, such as televisions, laptops, desktops, computer accessories, printers, cellphones, tablets, telephones, DVD/BLU-RAY readers, MP3S, digital cameras, and videogame consoles. Precious materials like gold, silver, and copper are recuperated from these items to manufacture new ones. Recycling electronics is an effective method to reduce our carbon footprint: for a ton of copper, only 14 tons of recycled electronics are needed instead of the 80,000 tons of extracted materials from the ground needed to transform new copper.
Since the program was first introduced in 2012, Quebecers have recycled over 100,000 metric tons in electronic devices. Just in 2017, Quebecers recycled 2.7kg each, resulting in 22,000 tons of recycled and reused electronics. However, a survey led by the Association determined that 2 out of 3 Quebec homes still contain electronic devices that are obsolete and no longer in use. Recycling old electronics that are no longer in use is a simple gesture that helps recuperate such resources without the heavy environmental cost of traditional mining operations.
Martin Carli, the host of Génial!, a scientific quiz television show, has happily agreed to collaborate with Arpe-québec to help raise awareness about the importance of recycling obsolete electronic devices. According to him, Recycle my Electronics “allows Quebecers to have a clear conscience and know that their old devices will not be sent to landfills, or be illegally exported, and ensures that they will be recycled with great respect for the environment. Imagining our lives without electronics is impossible, but it is crucial to dispose of them responsibly.”
By giving old electronic devices a second life, Quebecers can also avoid that toxic waste such as mercury and lead be found in nature and leach into the surrounding soil and water. Electronics do not belong in the trash, recycling bin, or on the side of the road.
Arpe-québec will handle all electronics dropped off at its various official collection points. The electronic devices will then be transported to certified and approved enterprises which conform to Canadian recycling norms, ensuring an environmentally-friendly disposal while minimizing health and safety risks. Once taken apart, the materials contained in the devices like metals, plastics, and glass, will be sorted, recuperated, transformed, and reused. They will then be utilized to produce new objects, preserving Quebec’s non-renewable natural resources.
To find a Recycle my Electronics collection point near you and to consult the complete list of accepted items, please v i s i t https://www.recyclemyelectronics.ca/qc.