A milestone was reached in June by the Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) in Saskatchewan.
The leaders in the program said it has successfully collected and safely recycled over 25,000 metric tonnes (MT) since the program began in 2007.
EPRA Saskatchewan collects electronics through 72 SARCAN locations, along with other drop-off centres across the province, and already has its sights set on the next 25,000 MT.
The program sees the collection and recycling of end-of-life electronics (EOLE) such as televisions, computers, audio and video devices and tablets, keeping them out of landfills and putting them back into the manufacturing supply chain so that few natural resources are required to make new products.
“We’re thrilled with the uptake from Saskatchewan residents who have been enthusiastic about the program for the past nine years,” said Gayleen Creelman, program director for the program in Saskatchewan. “To put the amount in perspective, 25,000 MT is more than the weight of 150 Statues of Liberty. To think we’ve collected and recycled that much EOLE right here in Saskatchewan is very impressive. Saskatchewanians should be very proud of this accomplishment.”
Creelman said she attended celebrations at three SARCAN depots that recently moved to more convenient and larger quarters in their respective communities. They are also in the midst of the second season of the Takeback to Touchdown partnership with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where all Saskatchewan residents are encouraged to show how green they are by recycling their electronics through EPRA Saskatchewan.
Recent polls indicate that over 80 per cent of the provincial population is still hanging on to EOLE.
“I encourage every Saskatchewan resident to drop off these items for recycling through EPRA,” Creelman said.
Saskatchewan is an international pioneer in product stewardship for EOLE, having North America’s first industry-led extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for collecting and responsibly recycling a broad range of regulated electronics such as televisions, computers, audio-visual devices and printers.
The collection of electronics serves a two-fold benefit because it keeps them out of landfills and precious metals and elements are recovered and reused to create new products. The urban mining is a sustainable solution with a much smaller footprint than mining for new elements, EPRA said in a media release.
The EPRA in Canada has diverted over 700,000 MT of EOLE from landfills and illegal export. It is a not-for-profit organization that provides an approved environmental compliance program for stewards (manufacturers, distributors and retailers) of electronics and is responsible for the program for the recovery and reclamation of electronic products.
The local reclamation drop off depot is located at SARCAN’s site along King Street with the recovery and reclamation process carried out next door at
Estevan Diversified Services.
