With Québec Waste Reduction Week (QWRW) set to run between October 21 and 27, the Electronic Products Recycling Association of Québec (EPRA‑Québec) is proud to contribute to the health of our planet and invites all Quebecers to take concrete action by recycling their old electronics. Notably, EPRA‑Québec continues to emphasize the importance of recovering old cell phones and other small devices that can no longer be used, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, and headphones since people across the province are less inclined to recycle them.
While these devices are widely used, they are also those most often forgotten in the bottom of a drawer, given their small size and the little space they take up. According to a CROP survey conducted last June for EPRA‑Québec, the top three old electronic products that people own but want to get rid of are cell phones/smart phones, computer accessories, and laptop computers.
“There are many reasons why we hold on to a cell phone or any other old electronic device that we no longer use. Whether people don’t know where to bring them or they worry their personal information will be exposed, I want to reassure them,” says Martin Carli, scientist and EPRA‑Québec’s official spokesperson. “Knowing that close to one in two people (47%) currently has at home old electronics they want to get rid of, I want to remind the population that dropping them off at an authorized drop-off point is easy and important because recycling an old electronic product through the official program restores its value in an ecological and safe way.”
Thanks to the participation of the Québec population, more than 19,000 tons of old electronics were collected in 2023. This is good news, but we must continue our efforts. The responsible recycling of end-of-life electronics does indeed help to protect the planet by recovering precious resources while reducing the amount of electronic waste in landfills.