The Electronic Products Recycling Association Saskatchewan (EPRA Saskatchewan) along with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and SARCAN Recycling, have partnered together for season two of the now award-winning Takeback to Touchdown promotion. All three partners in this initiative have a vested interest in being green, and hot off the success of their award from the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) for their 2015 efforts, they have decided to up the ante on e-recycling and evolve the promotion for a second season.
EPRA Saskatchewan Program Director, Gayleen Creelman stated, “While I am proud of the success the program achieved in 2015, it is full steam ahead for 2016. We are taking what we learned last year and focusing all of our efforts into breaking records in 2016.”
This year, the promotion focuses on challenging each SARCAN collection depot to increase the amount of end-of-life electronics collected versus what the depot collected last year. The depots are divided into Divisions based on their size and are vying for their Division Title. To keep the momentum going throughout the contest, various Roughrider prizes will be awarded to the depots when they achieve certain milestones. The depots are encouraged to engage with their local communities to help them achieve their collective goals, making a difference in the depot collection numbers and on the environment. To watch the season unfold go to http://www.takebacktotouchdown.ca/.
“It’s like having our own electronics recycling “sports season” which coincides with the Roughriders season. We are excited to compete alongside the Roughriders and make an impact on e-recycling, while still taking the time to have some fun. The depots are all excited to win their divisions,” said Sydney Smith of SARCAN.
The promotion will once again feature wide receiver Rob Bagg as the spokesperson, who recently resigned with the Roughriders through the 2018 season.
“Last year was very special for me because we really made an impact in Saskatchewan with over 300 communities around the province taking part and being doubly green by e-recycling” said Rob Bagg, “This year we are asking SARCAN employees and their communities to quarterback electronics recycling in the province. I can’t wait to see the kind of efforts they put forward.”
Looking back, the 2015 promotion saw 300-plus Saskatchewan communities participate and over 1,400 metric tonnes of electronics collected throughout the football season, diverting over 200,000 devices from landfills. On April 21, 2016 the promotion received the Non-Profit award from the SWRC, recognizing non-profit or grassroots groups operating in Saskatchewan that have waste reduction programs that exceed expectations.
EPRA
As a recognized, industry-led, not-for-profit organization, EPRA provides an approved environmental compliance program for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of electronics. It is responsible for implementing and operating, on behalf of its stewards, a responsible program for the recovery and reclamation of electronic products, in accordance with standards established by EPRA.
What electronic products are accepted?
EPRA Saskatchewan accepts and recycles a range of regulated electronic products including: display devices (such as televisions and monitors), desktop printers, computers and peripherals (such as keyboards), home theatre in-a-box (HTB) systems, non-cellular telephones, as well as audio and video systems. The program has successfully collected and recycled more than 24,000 metric tonnes of end-of-life electronics in Saskatchewan since the program’s inception in 2007.
For more information about EPRA Saskatchewan, please visit www.recycleMYelectronics.ca/sk.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football club based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
For more information about the Saskatchewan Roughriders, please visit www.riderville.com.
SARCAN
SARCAN Recycling provides environmental protection, employment creation, and economic development through a province-wide network for recycling beverage containers, paint and electronics.
SARCAN has 71 recycling centres throughout Saskatchewan, two processing plants, and one administrative office in Saskatoon. SARCAN employs people of all abilities, and, with over 600 staff, is one of the largest affirmative employers in Canada. The SARCAN system for recycling is one of the most efficient and effective in North America, making SARCAN a champion of environmental protection.
For more information about SARCAN, please visit www.sarcan.ca
Both EPRA Saskatchewan and SARCAN are proud founding members of Recycle Saskatchewan.
Recycle Saskatchewan is the umbrella organization for provincial product management programs.
