E-Waste Events: Community invited to recycle old computers and electronics

Do you have old computers, telephones or televisions at home or work? If so, mark your calendar and plan to drop them off for recycling.

Rainbow District School Board is teaming up with Greentec Recycling Solutions to host e-waste events during Earth Month.

There will be a drop off depot in the parking lot at Manitoulin Secondary School, 107 Bay Street in M’Chigeeng, on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 9 am to 3 pm.

Drop off depots will be set up in the parking lots at three schools on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 9 am to 3 pm – Lockerby Composite School, 1391 Ramsey View Road in Sudbury; Carl A. Nesbitt Public School, 1241 Roy Street in New Sudbury; and Lively District Secondary School, 265 Fifth Avenue in Lively.

“Over the last year, Rainbow District School Board has recycled over 10,000 pounds (4500 kilograms) of electronic equipment as part of its ongoing efforts to promote environmental sustainability,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “We are now giving our students, staff, parents/guardians, members of the community and local businesses an opportunity to join our efforts by recycling their e-waste at these community events.”

The following items can be recycled:

Computers, laptops, servers

Mice, keyboards, webcams

Printers, scanners, photocopiers

Phones, fax machines

Monitors, televisions (CRT, LCD, Plasma, wooden console, rear projection)

Networking products (routers, wireless, switches, wireless cards)

Cell phones, digital cameras, Bluetooth devices, chargers

Media players (IPod, MP3, CD)

Video game systems and controllers

CDs, DVDs, cassettes, discs

Radios, speakers, amplifiers, electronic music equipment

Circuit boards, memory chips, camera memory cards, USB drives

Wires and cables

Battery backups

Microwaves

Commercial and industrial electronic equipment

Greentec is guaranteeing 100 per cent data destruction for all devices containing personal information.

Please do not bring hazardous waste, furniture, TV stands, or other non-electronic waste.

“End of life should not mean end of value,” said Brett Belcher, Northern Ontario representative for Greentec Recycling Solutions. With Greentec, electronic waste is diverted from landfill sites. Equipment is either refurbished or reduced to its component parts and recycled for other uses. “Reusing electronics helps to protect and preserve the planet for generations to come,” said Belcher.

For more information, please call 705-327-9903.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,

Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,

Rainbow District School Board, 674-3171, ext. 7217.