February 2017 marks a milestone for Saskatchewan’s government-approved electronics recycling program: 10 years in existence. The Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) Saskatchewan is responsible for managing this industry-led and government-approved electronic products recycling program for consumers and businesses in Saskatchewan.
Throughout the past 10 years over 27,000 MT of end-of-life electronics have been dropped-off for safe and secure recycling, diverting them from landfills and our beautiful environment. That’s the same amount of weight as over 38,500 Canadian moose!
“It’s incredible to think of the amount of electronics that Saskatchewan residents have dropped off for recycling in just 10 years,” said Gayleen Creelman, EPRA Saskatchewan’s Program Director. “I’m always impressed when I speak with residents from all over Saskatchewan at how passionate they are about recycling.”
Saskatchewan is an international pioneer in product stewardship for end-of-life electronics (EOLE), having North America’s first industry-led EPR (extended producer responsibility) program for collecting and responsibly recycling a broad range of regulated electronics such as televisions, computers, audio/visual devices and printers. Throughout its tenure, the program has grown and evolved, adding new devices and drop-off locations along the way.
When the electronics are collected there is a two-fold benefit to the province; old electronics are kept out of landfills and precious metals and elements are recovered and reused to create new products. This “urban mining” is a sustainable solution with a much smaller footprint than mining for new elements.
Creelman has a vibrant vision for Saskatchewan’s place with regards to the e-recycling industry. “In Saskatchewan, we’ve been the leader when it came to product stewardship for end-of-life electronics, and together with the residents of Saskatchewan we will continue leading the way long into the future.” With 87 drop-off locations all over the province EPRA is making it even easier for Saskatchewan residents to extend nature’s warranty and recycle their end-of-life electronics. It is as simple as keying a postal code into their on-line drop-off location tool at recycleMYelectronics.ca/sk to find the nearest location.
Look for more announcements from EPRA Saskatchewan throughout the year as they celebrate 10 years of electronics recycling in 2017.
