Press Release
The RecycleYourElectronics.ca tour stopped by Fort Frances on July 18-19, seeing local residents drop off 17.06 tonnes of discarded electronics during the two-day period.
From May through August, thousands of residents in cities across Northern Ontario participated in the RecycleYourElectronics.ca tour to learn about end-of-life electronics and, through select collection events, helped divert hazardous materials from landfill.
The primary focus of the summer-long program was to raise awareness about responsible e-waste diversion by providing educational information and fun activities to participants attending one of 29 stops along the tour.
In addition, a total of 180,716 kg (about 180 tonnes) of unwanted electronics, such as cellphones, computers, monitors, and televisions, were collected through a series of collection events.
The RecycleYourElectronics.ca program is run by the Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES), a non-profit industry organization tasked with diverting electronic waste from landfill, and educating and encouraging responsible reuse and safe recycling of unwanted electronics.
RecycleYourElectronics.ca now accepts 44 types of electronics across a province-wide collection network of hundreds of OES-approved collection sites.
“It’s important for all Ontarians to know that e-waste is not garbage; it contains hazardous materials that don’t belong in landfills,” stressed Pierre Prim, director of operations, OES.
“It also includes valuable materials that can be safely recycled to manufacture new products,” he noted.
“We were excited to engage Northern Ontarians in their communities as our research indicated a need for increased awareness about end-of-life electronics,” added Prim.
“The response was very positive, and residents were enthusiastic about putting the information to use at work and at home.”
