TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2013 /CNW/ - Michael Scott is CEO of Waste Diversion Ontario (www.wdo.ca), which oversees Ontario's recycling programs for electrical and
electronic equipment, used tires, Blue Box material, and household
hazardous waste. As part of its oversight role, WDO monitors program
sustainability, effectiveness and efficiency.
With oversight from Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO), Ontario Electronic
Stewardship (OES), a not-for-profit industry organization, operates and
pays for the recycling of electronic equipment, including computers and
flat screen TVs, collected from across Ontario. This program is now
into its fourth year of operation.
Last year, OES collected 75,702 tonnes of old electronic equipment, more
commonly known as "e-waste".
It's hard to put 75,702 tonnes into perspective unless we compare it to
something that everybody understands. For example, 75,702 tonnes is the
equivalent of about 2.8 million televisions, or 605 million cell
phones. It's also the weight of over 25,750 empty Zamboni ice
So far, this sounds like quite a feat. But how do we compare with other
In mid-February, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
announced that in 2012, Texans turned in more than 43.8 million pounds
of electronics for recycling. That's equal to 19,867 tonnes.
Consider that the current population of Texas is 26.1 million, compared
to Ontario's population of 13.5 million. This means that Ontario, with
about half the number of people, was able to collect almost four times
more e-waste in 2012 than Texas!
If we dig deeper into Texas electronics recycling, we discover that one
reason for their much lower results is that Texas is also far behind
Ontario when it comes to the variety of electronics covered under
current programs. In Texas, computer monitors, desktop computers,
laptops, keyboards and mice are collected by computer manufacturers,
who also "voluntarily" collect televisions and other electronics.
Although Texas is working on it, there isn't a program in place yet
that would make it mandatory for television manufacturers that sell in
Texas to collect and recycle television equipment. Meanwhile, in
Ontario, e-waste accepted for collection includes 44 different items
ranging from cell phones, cameras and radios to computers, televisions
In addition to a greater range of accepted items, Ontarians are also
offered more options for dropping off their e-waste. A network of
almost 700 OES-approved collection points and affiliated sites operates
throughout Ontario across the municipal, non-profit and retail sectors.
Eighty-five percent of Ontarians live within 25 km of an OES collection
site or event. Back in Texas, people have only one option: to turn in
their electronics directly to computer manufacturers.
The success of Ontario's e-waste program is about much more than just
the volume of electronics diverted from landfill. It's also about
helping our communities. In 2011, OES paid over $1 million in
collection fees as fundraising dollars to over 80 not-for-profit and
community organizations for important local causes.
If you're wondering how Ontario is doing on a more global scale, in 2012
alone, 5.61 kg/capita of e-waste was collected in Ontario, exceeding
the European Union standard of 4 kg/capita. (The weight of 5.61 kg is
equal to about 12.4 pounds, the size of a large Easter ham.) We've come
a long way in only one year - in 2011, we collected 3.96 kg/capita of
Our oversight role at Waste Diversion Ontario includes enhancing public
awareness of and participation in waste diversion programs. Next time
you consider how to dispose of your old electrical and electronic
equipment, we encourage you to help us build on our successes and take
advantage of our convenient program operated by OES. Enter your postal
code here to find out exactly where to take your e-waste in Ontario.
SOURCE: Waste Diversion Ontario
Media Contact: Julie Kwiecinski, Communications Advisor, WDO, 416-226-3252, email@example.com