Comments on: Ontario Canada Putting Fee On Recycling Electronics! http://www.modernecohomes.com/blog/recycling/ontario-canada-putting-fee-on-recycling-electronics/ Green living Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:34:28 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Patrick Hebert, Thriftopia.com http://www.modernecohomes.com/blog/recycling/ontario-canada-putting-fee-on-recycling-electronics/comment-page-1/#comment-587 Patrick Hebert, Thriftopia.com Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:49:32 +0000 http://www.modernecohomes.com/blog/recycling/ontario-canada-putting-fee-on-recycling-electronics/#comment-587 Ms. Friedland is absolutely correct - we can't expect that new fees charged on electronic and computer products will be absorbed by corporate Canada. In fact, what's charged at the manufacturing level will likely be marked up several times over by the time they reach us at the consumer level. The exact markup will be interesting to see since in many cases, items go from manufacturer to importer to wholesaler and eventually to the retailer before being purchased by us. Also important to note, the majority of other provincial programs favour bulk shredding and destruction of electronics - this does not create nearly as many jobs as could be created if we were to focus on refurbishing and reusing equipment. Bulk shredding and recycling also increases our carbon footprint, since recycling a PC actually consumes 20 times the energy when compared to reusing one. Unfortunately, there is also a lack of incentive or penalty to get manufacturers to design products with fewer toxic elements. Also missing are incentives to ensure that people actually return their equipment to a collection depot when finished with it rather than simply mixing it in with their solid waste. While these programs are a starting point, we can certainly do better. Ms. Friedland is absolutely correct – we can’t expect that new fees charged on electronic and computer products will be absorbed by corporate Canada. In fact, what’s charged at the manufacturing level will likely be marked up several times over by the time they reach us at the consumer level.

The exact markup will be interesting to see since in many cases, items go from manufacturer to importer to wholesaler and eventually to the retailer before being purchased by us.

Also important to note, the majority of other provincial programs favour bulk shredding and destruction of electronics – this does not create nearly as many jobs as could be created if we were to focus on refurbishing and reusing equipment. Bulk shredding and recycling also increases our carbon footprint, since recycling a PC actually consumes 20 times the energy when compared to reusing one.

Unfortunately, there is also a lack of incentive or penalty to get manufacturers to design products with fewer toxic elements.

Also missing are incentives to ensure that people actually return their equipment to a collection depot when finished with it rather than simply mixing it in with their solid waste.

While these programs are a starting point, we can certainly do better.

]]>