How to Recycle Your Old Electronics
Written by Alex Fisher
Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash.com
You’re likely used to recycling old papers and empty bottles, but did you know that you can also recycle your old phone, broken earbuds, and that ancient laptop gathering dust in your closet?
What is E-waste?
E-waste, or electronic waste, is a topic we’ve briefly discussed in a previous Journal article. E-waste is comprised mainly of old or broken electronics, appliances, gadgets—nearly anything with wires or circuits. This form of waste should not simply be thrown in the trash bin, however. Improperly disposed of e-waste can have a wide range of health effects, including respiratory and developmental issues, especially in children. Improperly treated e-waste can release toxic chemicals like lead and mercury into the environment, poisoning the ground and the air. Despite this, only between 17.4% to 22.3% of global e-waste is properly disposed of, and the amount of e-waste produced is growing five times faster than the amount recycled. This means even more toxins are released into the environment, and even more adverse health effects are experienced.
Not to worry, though—e-waste can be readily recycled! While the process is more complicated and intensive than that used for other forms of waste, many of the materials in old or broken electronics, including valuable rare earth elements, can be reused in newer electronics. If a significant fraction of global e-waste was properly recycled, there could be less demand to mine for new materials, and more waste could be kept out of local landfills. There are several reasons why so little e-waste is properly disposed of, but it mostly boils down to a lack of awareness, government legislation, and little support for e-waste recycling infrastructure. This is despite the fact that e-waste recycling appears to be an untapped market. According to Earth.org, if only 60% of global e-waste was properly recycled, then it could potentially benefit the global economy by tens of billions of dollars.
How Can You Help?
E-waste is clearly a massive problem, both globally and in Canada, but it’s a problem that you can help solve.
One of the best ways to reduce e-waste is to take discarded electronics and appliances to a recycling center. For some, such as those who live in rural areas or inaccessible cities, this can pose quite a challenge. Fortunately, Halifax and Dartmouth have relatively strong accessibility, with most areas reachable by bus. This helps to reduce one of the barriers that might prevent people from being able to recycle old devices. If you live outside of a city or in a city that’s more difficult to navigate, you may need to ask a friend about carpooling to a recycling centre or take advantage of a local recycling initiative. You may even be able to take your e-waste to a local computer store and ask them to recycle it for you.
If you’re confused about which items should go in which bins, the Halifax.ca website has a page breaking down the different types of recycling that the region accepts and what kinds of items fall into each category (also check out the Halifax Recycles app for similar information). The Electronics Recycling tab displays an extensive list of all the different sorts of appliances, electronics, gadgets, and devices you can take to a recycling center. You might be surprised at the sheer number of things that fall under the electronics recycling category—from laptops and phones to vacuum cleaners and egg timers.
Under the Electronics Recycling tab, there is also a direct link to the website Recycle My Electronics. This website is the homepage of the Electronic Products Recycling Association, a not-for-profit organization whose About Us page describes their goal of reducing e-waste and ensuring that electronic devices are recycled responsibly, no longer bringing harm to people or the environment. Their services are also free for the general public, eliminating the barrier of having to pay to recycle which exists in some areas.
On the Recycle My Electronics website, you can search for recycling centers in any province except for Alberta and then further your search by postal code or city. Selecting Halifax shows several of the recycling centers that are partnered with Recycle My Electronics in the Halifax and Dartmouth area, though the exact locations and their distance to you will differ depending on your postal code. Looking at this page, it’s easy to see that there are numerous locations within the city that will take your old devices, like the Staples on Gottingen Street and the ET Bottle Exchange on Rosedale Drive in Dartmouth.
Are There Other Options?
While it may be the most prominent organization, Recycle My Electronics is not the only organization in Nova Scotia that will accept your broken gadgets. Divert NS is another not-for-profit that aims to reduce waste and promote recycling and sustainable living, though their scope is solely focused on Nova Scotia rather than most of Canada. The company has set up seventy-eight Enviro-Depots—their name for waste sorting and recycling centers—all across Nova Scotia, and their Find a Depot page allows you to search for the one closest to you. While not every location accepts electronics, the search function allows you to specify what sorts of things you need to recycle and breaks down exactly what each location will accept.
The Electronic Recycling Association, or ERA, is another not-for-profit that works with local companies to recycle old electronics or even repurpose them and donate them to charities. The ERA makes things even more convenient for you by offering to pick up your old electronics right from your home.
As for dead batteries, you don’t even need to go further than the bounds of the Saint Mary’s campus. Located in the basement of the McNally Main building, the university mailroom—not to be confused with the residence mailroom in Henn Alley—has a drop-off for dead batteries at the main window for Inventory and Distribution, labeled MM025. Keep in mind that outside of opening hours, the shutters to the window will be closed and the sign for the battery drop-off will be hidden.
It’s important for all of us to recognize the growing danger that e-waste poses and try to find solutions for it, not just for the sake of our planet, but for the sake of ourselves and upcoming generations. While it’s not the responsibility of the average person to solve all of the problems surrounding e-waste, we can nonetheless do our part by making that extra trip to the recycling center and ensuring that our electronics are disposed of properly, keeping them out of landfills and keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment.
Have you ever faced difficulties while trying to recycle your electronics? Discuss this with us on our social media pages.