What's Inside Counts.

Thanks to your commitment to social distancing, Recycle My Electronics™ drop-off locations in Manitoba have now reopened. Please check with your local drop-off location to ensure that they are accepting electronics.

Electronics Recycling in Swan River

Due to COVID-19, drop-off locations near to you may have modified hours. Please call ahead.

Free Recycle My Electronics Learning Hub for Kids

      Electronics Recycling At Home

      The future is in your hands. Don’t let it go to waste.™

      Electronics recycling at home is your opportunity to have a direct impact on the environment. Our electronics are filled with resources – everything from glass and plastic to gold, silver, copper and palladium – that need to be recovered and recycled and it’s never been easier to do so. There are over 2,500 Recycle My Electronics authorized collection locations across Canada, including right here in Swan River.

      The Recycle My Electronics program recycles approximately 15.5 million devices a year in Manitoba and since the program began in 2009, we have recycled approximately 100 million devices. Consider this – recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent of the electricity used by 3,657 homes in a year.

      You can find more about recycling electronics at your home by visiting our Residential page.

      Why Recycle?

      There are so many good reasons for recycling your end-of-life electronics right here in Swan River – here are just a few of them.

      When you recycle your end-of-life electronics through a Recycle My Electronics authorized collection location you’re:

      • Keeping e-waste out of Canadian landfills.
      • Confirming the safe and secure destruction of personal data stored on hardware.
      • Recovering resources like gold, silver, copper and palladium so the can be recycled to go back into new
        products.
      • Preventing e-waste from being illegally exported or handled by irresponsible recyclers, decreasing
        environmental issues for the planet.
      • Protecting workers’ health and handlers’ health and safety.

      The future is your hands. Don’t let it go to waste.™

      The EPRA/Recycle My Electronics program is pleased to announce that over one million tonnes of end-of-life electronics have been diverted from Canadian landfill, saving our land and ensuring safe, secure recycling of end-of-life electronics.

      Recycling your end of life electronics for your business is equally important and you can learn more about that here.

      The Importance of Electronics Recycling


      Electronics Recycling FAQ

      1What is Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA)?

      Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization that operates the regulated recycling program in Manitoba. We ensure that end-of-life electronics are handled in a safe, secure and environmentally-sound manner.

      2How is the Manitoba Electronic Stewardship program funded?

      The Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) program is funded through Environmental Handling Fees (EHF) that are applied on the sale of all new electronic products regulated in Manitoba. It’s not a tax, nor is it a refundable deposit. The EHF on each item in the program is based on the actual cost to recycle the materials contained in the product. All program revenue is used for the collection, transportation and responsible recycling of end-of life electronics as well as program administration.

      3Is the Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) a tax?

      The Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) is not a tax. The Environmental Handling Fees you pay when purchasing regulated electronic products are industry levied and used to fund the responsible recycling of unwanted electronics through the EPRA program.

      4How does Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) ensure that electronics are recycled responsibly?

      Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) ensures that electronics are recycled responsibly through our network of drop-off locations, including right here in Swan River, in order to protect the environment as well as worker health and safety.

      EPRA only works with recyclers who have been verified under the national Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS), which was designed by the electronics industry to ensure that end-of-life-electronics are managed in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

      This means that all EPRA verified recyclers must be actively processing material that is entrusted to them by EPRA. Further, our Recycler Qualification Office (RQO) verifies the recyclers against the ERS requirements. This ensures that recyclers are maintaining appropriate environmental, health and safety controls, and are properly handling all materials. For more information, visit www.RQP.ca

      5How do I know my personal information on my device will not be seen or stolen?

      There are some very simple steps to follow to ensure the personal information on your won’t be seen or stolen. Consumers and businesses are responsible for ensuring that all personal data is removed from their electronic devices prior to bringing them to one of our drop-off locations. If you are unsure how to do this, contact your manufacturer for more information. While EPRA requires that all of our recyclers protect data on electronic products from unauthorized access or theft, it is your obligation to protect your personal information. EPRA does not accept liability for data or any other digital content that is left on electronic products collected at our drop-off locations.

      For more information on how to prepare your device for recycling, visit: https://recyclemyelectronics.ca/mb/residential/how-to-wipe-your-device

      6Where will my electronics go?

      When you bring electronics to an authorized Recycle My Electronics drop-off location in Swan River they go through a number of steps during the recycling process. Once collected and sorted, items are sent to an EPRA-approved recycling facility for dismantling and the removal of any substances of concern for proper downstream management. All other materials are separated into different streams to recover such parts as metals, plastics and glass so they can be processed into new products. Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) manages end-of-life electronics according to the highest environmental standards at every stage of the recycling process.

      About the EHF

      Environmental Handling Fees (EHF) are applied on the sale of all new electronic products. It’s not a tax, nor is it a refundable deposit. The EHF on each item in the program is based on the actual cost to recycle the materials contained in the product. All program revenue is used for the collection, transportation and responsible recycling of end-of-life electronics as well as program administration.

      Read more about the Environmental Handling fee.


      About EPRA

      As a recognized industry-led not-for-profit organization, Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) provides environmental compliance programs for manufacturers, distributors and retailers of electronics.

      EPRA is responsible for the implementing and operating, on behalf of their stewards, a safe and secure program for the recovery and reclamation of end-of-life electronics.


      How To Wipe Your Device

      Learn how to wipe your device and other practical tips to secure your data & protect your privacy before recycling your electronic devices.

      Before you bring your electronic devices to one of our safe and secure drop-off locations, here are some practical end-of-life electronics recycling tips and suggestions:

      1. Assess if the electronic device could be given away.
      2. Ensure the account service for your device is deactivated, if applicable.
      3. Clear your device of personal information, including removing the SIM card.

      Wipe your drives. Clear your SIM cards.

      Protect your privacy.

      Clear all personal information from computers, cell phones and electronics prior to drop off.

      Ensure all memory storage areas have been cleared of private information.

      Find out how:

      • Consult manufacturer’s website or electronics owner’s manual • Download data erasure software or data shredding apps
      • Ask an expert

      Our “How To Wipe Your Device” page walks you through the process.

      What Can I Recycle

      Learn more about what happens to your electronics once they are returned to a depot.

      Display Devices

      Televisions and monitors, including various technologies such as Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), flat panel (LCD, LED and plasma) and rear projection.

      Non-Cellular Telephones

      Includes corded and cordless telephones, as well as telephone answering machines.

      Home Audio/Video Systems

      Includes VCRs, DVD and CD players, speakers, amplifiers, receivers, data projectors and similar audio/video systems.

      Desktop Computers

      Desktop computers (including those acting as servers) and all bundled keyboards, mice, cables and internal components.

      Portable Computers

      Includes portable computers such as laptops, netbooks, notebooks and tablets.

      Computer Peripherals

      Includes both wired and wireless manual input devices such as keyboards, mice and trackballs.

      Desktop Printers

      Printers designed to reside on a work surface, including laser and LED, ink jet, dot matrix, thermal, dye sublimation and “multi-function” copy, scan, fax and print devices. Stand-alone desktop fax machines are also included in this category.

      Personal/Portable Audio/Video Systems

      Includes docking speakers, portable stereos, portable CD players, portable audio recorders, tape/radio players, digital media (MP3) players, voice recorders, and digital and video cameras.

      Home Theatre In-A-Box (HTB) Systems

      Includes pre-packaged disc player/speaker/amplifier systems for use with video or television display to create a home theatre experience.

      Vehicle Audio/Video Systems (aftermarket)

      Includes amplifiers, equalizers, speakers and audio/video components.

      Countertop Microwave Ovens

      Countertop Microwave Ovens may include microwaves from hotel rooms or restaurant units similar in chassis type to household type units. Please note built-in or over-the-range microwave ovens and microwave/range hood combinations are excluded from the program.

      Floor-Standing Photocopiers/Multi-Function Devices

      Floor-standing photocopiers and Multi-Function Devices (MFDs). This will include all printing and copying devices, utilizing all printing technologies, that are floor-standing models and can print on media with dimensions up to 48″ wide.

      Cellular Devices

      Cellular phones, including those offering camera, video recording and/or audio functions, smartphones (cell-enabled), cell-enabled PDAs utilizing touch-screen technology and cell-enabled handheld devices.

      Where Can I Recycle?

      Use our drop-off location finder to discover an electronics recycling depot near you.

      Our electronics are filled with resources – everything from glass and plastic to gold, silver, copper and palladium – that need to be recovered and recycled and it’s never been easier to do so. There are over 2,500 Recycle My Electronics authorized collection locations across Canada and the postal code search makes finding your nearest drop-off location even easier.

      Myths About Recycling Your End-Of-Life Electronics

      Five things most people get wrong about recycling electronics

      Ten years ago, most gadget buffs had a desktop, maybe a laptop and probably a cell phone. Today, we can add tablets, smartphones and a myriad of other technological advances to that list. While our tech keeps marching to the future, many of our ideas about how to recycle our gadgets are stuck in the past. Busting these myths helps protect the environment because the resources needed to make new tech currently reside in your old tech.

      Discover more about electronics recycling at our one-stop learning hub.

      Myth #1: Obsolete electronics are worthless.

      Actually, our everyday electronics contain valuable commodities such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. Other materials, such as metals, plastics and glass, can be reused in new products.

      It’s not safe or profitable to harvest these elements yourself, but Recycle My Electronics — an industry-led, not-for-profit program that operates the regulated recycling in our province — will make sure that end-of-life electronics are handled safely, securely and in a way that’s environmentally sound.

      Myth #2: It’s okay to toss electronics in with the household recycling.

      The household recycling program is designed to process many kinds of recyclable materials, but not electronics. So where should you put your old devices? Recycle My Electronics has a handy searchable database of authorized collection locations across the country. Drop-offs are free and environmentally safe.

      Myth #3: Unused electronics are often shipped to developing nations, where they become somebody else’s problem.

      The Recycle My Electronics program only works with recyclers who have been verified under the national Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS), which was designed by the electronics industry to ensure that end-of-life electronics are managed in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

      These partners are prohibited from exporting electronics or substances of concern to non-OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations. In addition, they require worker health and safety provisions and downstream accountability.

      Myth #4: Products made from recycled materials aren’t as good as those created from scratch.

      Glass, silver, copper, aluminum, palladium and plastics can all be recycled and reused continuously without losing their properties. Using recycled materials recovered from electronics to manufacture new products reduces greenhouse gases and the amount of energy used to process raw materials. It keeps substances of concern like lead and mercury out of our ecosystem.

      Myth #5: Recycling electronics can put your data at risk.

      When your old laptop, phone or computer goes to a recycling facility, it is quickly pulverized to recover its precious metals and other recyclable materials. But to be safe, you should clear your device of any personal information before you drop off your end-of-life electronics. To learn how to wipe the data from your device, check the owner’s manual or visit the manufacturer’s website for instructions.

      It’s never been easier to recycle your end-of-life electronics.

      Contact Us

      If you any questions about end-of-life electronics recycling and resource recovery, general inquiries or media requests please contact us.

      General Inquiries
      1-888-567-4535
      infoMB@recycleMYelectronics.ca

      Steward Services
      1-888-527-9382
      infoMB@recycleMYelectronics.ca