Jon Hebert of Thriftopia.com sorts through collected e-waste in Tottenham, ON
The newly approved Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) plan which is supposed to be 100% funded by the electronics industry may cost municipalities more than expected. Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) is the fastest growing solid waste stream in Ontario and worldwide. The plan calls for the creation of 420 collection depots across the province with the attractive lure of compensation.
Towns and cities beware.
The plan offers municipalities and OES approved collection depots $165 per ton of certain types of electronics collected, provided that the equipment is sorted and packaged according to the requirements of the OES. The program will initially cover TVs, Computer Monitors, Desktop & Laptop Computers, Computer Accessories and Printers. OES will also pay for transportation and recycling of specified equipment. Other items such as fridges, stoves, washers and dryers are not covered. Cell phones, stereos, iPods and cameras aren’t on the list yet either.
According to projections provided in the plan document, each person in Ontario is expected to generate 7.60 kilograms (nearly 15 pounds) of “subject” e-waste for collection beginning in April, 2009. This means that the OES will pay about $0.75 for every person who recycles.
Based on the target of 60% diversion, a town with a population of 1,000 people would be compensated $752.40 for collecting, sorting, and packaging 7.6 tons of e-waste. Small cities such as Huntsville with a population of 22,000 would earn $16,500. In fact, the entire District of Muskoka with a population of 57,000 people would collect $62,000 for managing their WEEE.
The City of Barrie with a population of 130,000 is expected to generate 988 tonnes of TVs, Monitors and computers and peripherals in the first year of the program. At 60% diversion the City would earn $97,000. Two full time staff earning $40,000 per year plus benefits would quickly turn such profits into a drain on the local economy.
Under OES funding, dedicated collection depots may not be appropriate for most municipalities in Ontario. Collection events, executed a few times per year at a much lower expense would be a better option for most Ontario communities. Before deciding to set up depots to divert e-waste, municipalities should consider using a social enterprise such as Thriftopia.com to organize and execute special collection events instead.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
