This Saturday, September 17 marks the 3rd annual electronics recycling day at the UNB Saint John campus.
Volunteers from the Saint John Fire Department will be loading a transport truck full of old electronics that are taking up space in homes, dorm rooms, trunks and maybe even lockers. Items will be collected starting at 9:00am until shortly after noon.
Many bulky items are accepted including televisions, computers, and printers; however you can also drop off smaller items that still need to be disposed of in a safe way. These smaller items include USB keys, earphones, computer keyboards, or even old wiring. There are a few exceptions, household electronics such as microwaves and toasters are not accepted.
The items collected are being sent to Edmunston and processed at ResNet, a small non-governmental organization dedicated to the proper disposal of electronics.
The company’s representative Julie Lavoie said the university has a particular responsibility. “Students use a wide array of devices to assist them in their secondary or post-secondary studies,” stating that many of these devices have a short shelf life.
ResNet emphasizes the importance of this issue and states that every computer contains about 4 kilograms of lead and small quantities of deadly cadmium and mercury.
Lavoie says recycling electronics helps to “protect New Brunswick’s soils and eliminate any trace of heavy metals to eventually integrate into our water sources”.
The day of collection usually ends with 11,000-12,000 pounds of electronic waste.
If you cannot make the Saturday 9-12pm drop off day, but want to make sure you are disposing of electronics and other products in an environmentally safe way you can visit the Fundy Region’s website for drop off locations.
