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New Brunswickers now have more recycling options for electronics, including household appliances.
As of Jan. 1, the list of items you can drop off for recycling has roughly doubled in size, according to Karen Ulmanis.
Ulmanis is the New Brunswick program director for the Electronic Products Recycling Association and said 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.”
Previously, you could recycle televisions, stereos, computers, laptops and phones.
The list now covers almost everything you plug in. For example, coffee makers, toasters, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners or your electric toothbrush.
“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.”
Karen Ulmanis, New Brunswick program director for the Electronic Products Recycling Association, says people in this province can now recycle about twice as many electronics as they could last year. ( Karen Ulmanis)
The only items left off the list are any devices with freon, a gas used in air conditioners.
Ulmanis said to contact your local landfill about freon disposal.
Her organization, which is also referred to as Recycle My Electronics, has a website that tells New Brunswickers what they can recycle and where.
These items don’t go in your curbside pickup recycling but instead need to be dropped off at a collection site or retail store.
The website’s map shows when and where the closest drop-off locations are.
In the Fredericton area, some examples are city hall, Best Buy, Best Metal Bottles and the Salvation Army.
Inside Fredericton city hall’s service centre, people can drop off small electronics. This is a safe and secure drop off that is intended for devices with data on them such as phones and laptops. (City of Fredericton/Facebook)
Fredericton City Hall offers a 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 said.
She recommended trying to wipe as much data off your device as possible, which a factory reset should do.
Large pickups for businesses are available through the association’s website.
E-waste is on the rise
The changes to the electronics recycling list came with legislative changes to the province’s Clean Environment Act in July 2024.
It comes at a time when electronic waste, or e-waste, is on the rise in Canada. A 2023 University of Waterloo study showed e-waste tripling over the previous two decades.
It said that “e-waste generation per person has increased from 8.3 kg in 2000 to 25.3 kg in 2020.”
The study also attributes the increase to consumer habits and population growth.
Shruti Shekar, the editor-in-chief at Android Central, said anyone looking to get rid of tech should not just throw it in the garbage.
Shekar said many households have unwanted electronics lying around the house, which she can see increasing in the future.
Shruti Shekar, the editor-in-chief at Android Central, says electronics don’t always have to be new. Refurbished items from Walmart or Best Buy are a great option, among others. (Shruti Shekar )
Other than organizations like the Electronic Products Recycling Association, Shekar said there are buy back programs or the second-hand market to get rid 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.”
On the buying side, Shekar said new technology can be expensive and buyers should ask if they really need the newest 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 said buying second-hand while ensuring the product is in working order is a great option. Buying refurbished products from Walmart or Best Buy is an even better option.