New Brunswick expands electronics recycling to nearly all plug-in devices

New Brunswick Expands Electronics Recycling Options

New Brunswickers now have more recycling options for electronics, including household appliances. As of January 1, the list of items for recycling has roughly doubled, according to Karen Ulmanis.

Ulmanis is the New Brunswick program director for the Electronic Products Recycling Association. She stated this is the first change to the list in nine years. “People don’t need to second guess anymore, like, ‘What can be recycled?’ You could pretty well look around your home when it comes to anything that’s plugged in and know that it can be recycled,” she said.

Previously, residents could recycle televisions, stereos, computers, laptops, and phones. The new list now covers almost everything that plugs in, such as coffee makers, toasters, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, and electric toothbrushes.

“The list is long,” Ulmanis said. “And it’s great news for New Brunswickers. … It pretty well encompasses everything in the home and we’re very excited.” The only items excluded are devices with freon, a gas used in air conditioners. Ulmanis advised contacting local landfills for freon disposal.

Her organization, also known as Recycle My Electronics, has a website that informs New Brunswickers about what they can recycle and where. These items do not go in curbside pickup recycling but must be dropped off at collection sites or retail stores.

The website includes a map showing the closest drop-off locations. In the Fredericton area, examples include city hall, Best Buy, Best Metal Bottles, and the Salvation Army. Fredericton City Hall offers secure drop-off for devices like phones and laptops that hold personal data.

“Once [the device] comes into our system, the electronics are kept in a safe and secure location, and we follow all of our devices right to the point of destruction,” Ulmanis explained. She recommended wiping as much data off your device as possible, which a factory reset should accomplish.

Large pickups for businesses are available through the association’s website. The changes to the electronics recycling list resulted from legislative updates to the province’s Clean Environment Act in July 2024.

This change comes as electronic waste, or e-waste, is rising in Canada. A 2023 University of Waterloo study showed e-waste tripling over the last two decades. It reported that “e-waste generation per person has increased from 8.3 kg in 2000 to 25.3 kg in 2020.” The study attributes this increase to consumer habits and population growth.

Shruti Shekar, the editor-in-chief at Android Central, advised against throwing away unwanted tech. She noted that many households have unused electronics, and this trend may increase. Besides organizations like the Electronic Products Recycling Association, Shekar mentioned buy-back programs and the second-hand market as options for disposing of electronics.

“Apple, for example, if you got a new iPhone, they’ll take your old iPhone back and actually give you money, which is awesome. You could also sell it on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji,” she said. On the buying side, Shekar pointed out that new technology can be expensive, and buyers should consider if they really need the latest phone or laptop.

“You also don’t need the latest and greatest cellphone every single year. You can make do with an older phone that’s, like, at least two to three to four years old, and it’ll still be fine. Same goes with laptops. They last, they’re meant to last,” she added. She recommended buying second-hand products while ensuring they are in working order. Buying refurbished products from Walmart or Best Buy is an even better option.