Officials are hoping more people dispose of their electronic waste properly, instead of chucking it into a landfill.
That’s one of the primary messages being shared during Waste Reduction Week, Oct. 15-21.
According to a United Nations-backed study in 2016, there was over 45-million tonnes of e-waste worldwide.
“It doesn’t belong in our landfills and it doesn’t belong in our recycling,” said Dennis Neufeld of the Electronic Products Recycling Association.
“There are materials like leaded-glass in tube TVs and mercury tubes in flat screens that needed to be manually removed and disposed of carefully,” Neufeld added.
Constantly changing technology has made for a dramatic increase in the amount of e-waste being created, from microwaves to TVs to cell phones and laptops.
Data worries
One concern many have while getting rid of electronics is the possibility of someone stealing data off items like cell phones and computers.
Neufeld said proper depots that get rid of e-waste ensure data is destroyed along with the material.
“The items are stored in a secured location until it gets transported to our processors,” Neufeld said.
“We do not reuse any of the material brought in to us. It is all broken down and recycled.”
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With 78 electronic waste depots all across Manitoba, in urban and rural locations, there are ample places for consumers to correctly dispose of their unwanted items. A full list can be found here.
The items that should be properly disposed of range from cell phones and personal electronics, to audio/visual equipment and kitchen appliances. A full list of electronics accepted at depots can be found here.
WATCH: The process of recycling your electronics
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