As residential and commercial electricians in Calgary, part of our job at A-Star is to help you and/or your business reduce your energy use through intelligent wiring, electrical panel optimization and employing LED lighting and smart devices. Everyone knows that reducing energy use is good for the environment and the wallet.
But there are lots of other ways that we can help save the planet, and electronics recycling is one of them. Statista.com’s estimates for the number of connected devices in Canada per person are surprisingly high. In 2016, 23% of Canadians reported owning five or more connected devices, with 19% reporting having four devices and another 19% reporting owning three. So, that’s 61% of the population owning at least three different types of electronics that can access the Internet.
With a population of 36.3 million in that year, that means there were more than 106 million devices in use in Canada, and there are likely even more now. And none of these belong in landfills. They contain highly toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment, not to mention tons of your personal information that could be stolen if you have not erased all of your data and restored to factory settings properly.
What is in Your Electronics?
There are a number of materials that run the components of your cell phone, computer, tablet and television. They are made of plastic and heavy metals, both of which do not break down. The heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic can pollute the water and earth, and can cause cancer, kidney damage, reproductive issues, respiratory issues and more. In Calgary, cell phones and electronics cannot be placed in blue bins, as they will damage the equipment plus contaminate the recycling stream.
Consider Donating
Before dropping off your electronics at a recycling depot, consider whether they are in good enough shape to be donated. Quite often we upgrade our devices long before their lifespan is really over. If you haven’t completely destroyed your cell phone, the following locations will take it to be given to someone in need. You can also go to Alberta’s Recycling Hotline for more information.
- Bell Canada – Blue Box program
- Best Buy
- Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre
- Call 2 Recycle
- Canadian Diabetes Association
You may also be able to turn your old device in for credit towards the purchase of a new one. The retailer will take care of its recycling and disposal, or perhaps even donate it themselves.
Electronics Recycling in Calgary
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that with the recycling 1 million laptops, the electricity used by 3,500 homes in the U.S. each year can be saved. Tons of precious metals can be recovered as well, including 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium.
Remember, before you drop off your electronics for recycling, ensure to delete all of your personal data. If the device has a SIM card, remove it. If it can’t be used again, destroy it with a pair of scissors. For other devices such as iPhones, erase your information by restoring to factory settings. For computers, wipe your hard drive and if you use any sort of cloud, be sure to sign out.
Outlets in Calgary that accept Electronics For Recycling include:
- City landfills
- Staples
- Best Buy (will accept large televisions as well)
- GEEP Calgary
- Habitat for Humanity Calgary ReStore (N.E. location)
- Recycle-Logic Inc.
- Technotrash Alberta
Call2Recycle.ca keeps a locator of all Electronics Recycling Locations, and you can also check the City of Calgary’s reference page for up-to-date information.
Residential and Commercial Electrical Services
In business in Calgary since 2010, A-Star Electric provides residential and commercial electric services in Calgary and the surrounding area. We have a solid 5-star rating from the Better Business Bureau of Calgary, and our crew of workers are all fully certified journeyman or apprentice electricians.
Our residential and commercial Electrician Services In Calgary are provided by a certified, professional journeyman electrician, and will ensure your home or business remains completely safe, secure and fully insured. DIY electrical work can nullify your home insurance coverage and result in outages, high electrical bills and fire. We always work to not only meet, but exceed electrical codes. Your electrical system is vital to both the functionality and comfort of your Calgary home or business. We will wire for your needs now and well into the future, guaranteeing the final installation is tidy, well-organized and streamlined to support the use of all the lighting, appliances and systems. Contact us for a service inquiry now.
1 Comment