RECYCLING RESULTS

This chart displays results over the last five years. The amount recycled this year indicates a stabilization in processing volumes, following a period of declining volumes, resulting from a gradual recovery in the Alberta economy.

KEEPING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES OUT OF THE LANDFILL

Since 2004, 13,670 tonnes of hazardous material has been safely and properly handled during the recycling process.

ALBERTANS SUPPORT THE
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING PROGRAM

85%

Albertans are regularly polled to measure their support for the program and over the past five years, commitment to electronics recycling has remained strong.

ENVIRONMENTAL FEES AT WORK

The environmental fees that Albertans pay when buying new electronics are used to help fund the collection and recycling of this material along with other Program-related costs. There are 1,440 electronics producers and suppliers registered with ARMA who collect these fees on the sale of each eligible product sold in Alberta and remit the funds to ARMA. We value their commitment and diligence as part of the frontline of the electronics recycling program.

Recycling Expenditures0%

Collection and recycling of electronics

Recycling Development0%

R&D; Program awareness

Program Delivery Expenditures0%

Costs to deliver the program

Corporate Administration0%

Corporate costs

ALBERTANS SUPPORT THE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING PROGRAM

Albertans are regularly polled to measure their support for the program and over the past five years,
commitment to electronics recycling has remained strong.

HARD TO GET ELECTRONICS

What began as a pilot project involving one school district in 2015, evolved to include the participation of over 200 schools collecting end-of-life electronics to raise funds for their individual schools. This is now an ongoing grant program which expanded to include community leagues/associations, amateur sports associations/teams, Scouts, Girl Guides and businesses for charity fundraising events.

CURBSIDE COLLECTION

A separate component of the Hard-to-Get pilot, the curbside collection pilot ran for a 5^th year involving three municipalities. Once again residents were invited to leave their TVs and computer products as the curb. Over the course of five years there were a total of 2,621 items collected. This pilot will continue to be tested in 2020-21; please visit our Success Stories page to read about an amazing curbside event held by the Town of Olds; residents dug out from their basements and garages not only electronics but paint, tires and used oil materials for recycling.

2,621 TVs AND COMPUTERS
COLLECTED THROUGH
THE CURBSIDE PILOT

KEEPING EVEN MORE ELECTRONICS OUT OF THE LANDFILL

This year the Government of Alberta approved a two-year electronics pilot project which could see an additional 24,600 tonnes of electronics diverted from landfills. This pilot also has the potential to inject $30 million GVA annually into Alberta’s economy and create 360 additional full-time jobs in the recycling sector.

HOW 10 MILLION ELECTRONICS ARE RECYCLED

Registered Recyclers pick up TVs and computer products from businesses and institutions and from 353 recycling depots across the province. They transport the material back to their facilities (all located in Alberta) where they break down each item, separating the materials into metals, plastic and glass. These commodities are then shipped back into the manufacturing supply chain. Following are results from the past three years, revealing a year-over-year decrease in glass and plastic which could be indicative of a decrease in cathode-ray-tube TVs and monitors available for recycling.

KEEPING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES OUT OF THE LANDFILL

Since 2004, 13,670 tonnes of hazardous material has been safely and properly handled during the recycling process. Following are results from the past three years showing some of the substances of concern diverted from the landfill.

DATA SECURITY IS A TOP PRIORITY

Once a computer is collected by a registered Recycler, they are responsible to destroy the hard drive (example pictured above) and other storage media. The Recyclers can also provide Certificates of Destruction if requested.

ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS FOR RECYCLERS

An objective of the Electronics Program is to ensure the registered Recyclers operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Annual environmental audits by external experts are conducted to confirm if the Recyclers are following Program requirements. Results are reported annually in a “Compliance Assurance Summary Report” found at albertarecycling.ca

ARMA oversees end-of-life processing of tires, electronics, paint and used oil materials on behalf of the province. Since 1992, ARMA has worked with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to shape recycling policy, create a value-added processing system, minimize waste entering landfills and to act as collective stewards of Alberta’s environment.