1. Reducing our carbon footprint.

Recycling one million tonnes of e-waste is not the only answer, but it’s an essential part of the overall solution. Recycling e-waste ensures the resources inside are recovered, recycled and reused — reducing our overall carbon footprint and lessening our dependence on mining for new resources. It also diverts e-waste from landfill, where it can emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and other harmful toxins.

2. What does one million tonnes look like?

If you filled the back of a pickup truck with electronics, you would have a row of pickup trucks stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way to St. John’s, Newfoundland, and back again. Recycling one million tonnes of e-waste saves the energy equivalent to power over four million Canadian homes for one year.

3. Sustainable behaviour.

Embracing more environmentally sustainable behaviour begins with a greater awareness of our own actions. Our electronics contain resources including plastic, glass, gold, silver, copper and palladium and many of these resources can be used over and over again without losing their properties. It only makes sense to recover and reuse these natural resources so they can go back into the manufacturing supply chain.

4. A shared opportunity.

Eighty percent of Canadians have unused electronics at home. That means whether they’re tucked away in the basement or garage or stashed away in a drawer, most of us have electronics just waiting to be safely and securely recycled. We all have the opportunity to make an environmental impact that truly benefits us all.

5. Setting the standard for diversion.

Now in its second decade of implementing and innovating recycling programs and solutions, EPRA is the environmental advocate for safe and secure e-waste recycling programs throughout Canada. EPRA operates the only country-wide recycling program functioning at the local, provincial and national level.

As a pioneer of true extended producer responsibility, EPRA develops and implements benchmark metrics to measure industry performance and regulatory compliance, assisting retailers, electronic producers and manufacturers in meeting their legislative obligations throughout Canada.

6. So many reasons to recycle.

When you bring your old, unusable electronics to an Recycle My Electronics authorized drop-off location, you’re helping to:

  • Ensure the safe and secure destruction of personal data stored on hardware.
  • Recover and recycle resources that can be put back into the manufacturing supply chain, conserving natural resources.
  • Divert e-waste from Canadian landfills.
  • Protect the health and safety of workers and handlers.
  • Prevent e-waste from being illegally exported or handled by irresponsible recyclers, decreasing environmental issues for the planet.

7. More convenient than ever.

The Recycle My Electronics program has a network of over 2,500 drop-off locations throughout the country, including return-to-retail locations and special collection events.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In what ways does electronics recycling benefit the environment?
  2. How many different resources can you name that are found in our electronics?
  3. What percentage of Canadians have electronics at home ready to be recycled?
  4. Look around your home and see if you also have electronics ready to be recycled. How many can you find?
  5. There are so many reasons for safely and securely recycling your end-of-life electronics through the Recycle My Electronics program. Can you name three?

Related Activites

Visit recycleMYelectronics.ca and enter your postal code to see how close you are to your nearest drop-off location.