[FreeGeek] Electronic trash to be banned in Vancouver garbage dumps

[agent humble]

(This Sept. 27 article from the Vancouver Sun states that the legislation will 
be in place by June '07 - Scott)


Greater Vancouver is planning to ban computers and television sets from being 
dumped in the garbage next year.

Instead, residents of the region will be required to separate their old 
electronics for recycling.

The regional district now buries 20,000 tonnes a year of dead and obsolete 
computers, monitors, printers and TV sets in landfill sites.

Under a proposal to be voted on by district directors Friday, garbage disposal 
of waste electronics will be banned next August, coinciding with the launch 
of a provincewide electronics industry recycling program.

The industry program is being implemented province-by-province across Canada. 
The regional district's role will be to keep electronics out of the garbage 
and encourage residents to recycle them, Albert van Roodselaar, a GVRD 
planner, said Tuesday.

"We're dealing with where we don't want it to go. They're the parties that are 
dealing with where it should go," van Roodselaar said.

The provincewide program was mandated by the provincial government but is 
being implemented by the B.C. branch of an industry group, Electronic 
Products Stewardship Canada, whose members include the major electronics 
manufacturers and retailers, from Apple and Microsoft to London Drugs and 
Best Buy.

Several companies already accept electronics for recycling, "but they are not 
necessarily disposing of it in a manner that is consistent with what the 
province and the federal government require," van Roodselaar said.

One company, Port Coquitlam-based TechnoTrash, expects to be one of several 
recyclers chosen to work with the program, said owner-manager Kelly Belanger.

TechnoTrash recycles upwards of 100 tonnes of electronics a month, Belanger 
said.

As part of the industry plan, consumers will pay a surcharge when they buy new 
computers, monitors, printers and TV sets. The money will be used to 
subsidize the recycling program.

The fees have not been set yet but in a similar program in Alberta, they range 
from $5 to $45 per component, depending on its type and size.

The industry recycling group is expected to set up a series of drop-off depots 
by next summer. Its program will be run by Encorp Pacific (Canada), which 
already operates a container recycling program for the beverage industry.

The GVRD is hoping consumers will cooperate by not trashing their old 
computers and TV sets until the depots are in place, said Paul Remillard, a 
GVRD division manager.

"Certainly from January on, if they would please keep it and store it on a 
temporary basis, that would be helpful," Remillard said.

GVRD officials will get to work on the details of the ban if the GVRD board 
gives the go-ahead on Friday.

A tentative four-step implementation plan includes:

- Planning to begin next month.

- A public education program to start in January.

- A "soft" ban on electronics entering the regional waste stream to begin in 
August 2007. Violators will be warned but not penalized.

- A full ban starting in January 2008. Most likely, people dumping trash at 
regional facilities with more than a specified proportion of electronics will 
face surcharges. A similar system for recyclable paper products imposes 
surcharges of 50 per cent.

 Enforcement will be done at GVRD waste transfer and disposal facilities that 
receive large loads of garbage. It is not clear yet whether there will be any 
attempt to police what goes into garbage residents put out for pickup.

The provincial environment ministry said the industry recycling program may be 
ready to roll next June, two months ahead of schedule.

bboei at png.canwest.com

- - -

WHAT WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR RECYCLING

The electronics industry's recycling program is expected to include:

- Desktop and laptop computers, including monitor, keyboard, mouse and cables, 
but not handheld devices.

- Desktop printers that print on paper up to 8.5 inches wide.

- Televisions.

Not included are computers and televisions "that are part of or attached to 
vehicles, marine vessels or commercial or industrial equipment." Recycling 
will include disassembling equipment and processing it to recover raw 
materials such as metals, glass and plastics. Recyclers will be required to 
remove components that contain mercury such as lamps and switches; batteries; 
toner and ink cartridges; and any other material designated as posing 
environmental, safety or mechanical risks.

Source: Public consultation draft prepared by B.C. Electronic Stewardship.

 

Source: Vancouver Sun