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The electronics manufacturing and distribution industries will have to prepare for recently introduced Canadian e-waste regulations, similar to the European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive. The aim is to cut the amount of waste, especially electronic and electrical waste going into the general household waste stream, and to remove the burden from end users to pay for the products at their end-of-life for treatment and disposal.
Environment Canada has stated that more than 140,000 tons of computer equipment, phones, televisions, stereos, and small home appliances accumulate in Canadian landfills each year. This amount is equivalent to the weight of about 28,000 adult African elephants, which would be equivalent to 336,000 full-size pick-up trucks stacked on top of each other.
The yearly disposal figures for personal computers alone will contain an estimated 4.5 tons of cadmium and 1.1 tons of mercury. The amount of lead contained in personal computers and televisions disposed yearly is estimated at 4,750 tons. High levels of these hazardous materials in the environment can be directly linked to adverse effects on human health and wildlife. This includes subtle neurobehavioral effects from lead, chronic kidney damage from cadmium, and sensory or neurological impairments from mercury.
On the other hand, e-waste also focuses on valuable resources such as ferrous metals, aluminum, and copper, which can be recycled and reused, however, are currently being sent to landfill with the electronic waste. Some estimates suggest computers alone contain 4,400 tons of ferrous metal, 3,050 tons of aluminum and 1,500 tons of copper.
Under the philosophy of Extended Producer Responsibility it is recognized that brand owners and manufacturers are in the best position to control the longevity, content, and recyclability of the products through their design and markets.
One tool many worldwide regions are considering, including Europe and the U.S., is legislation that would require manufacturers of electronics products to be responsible for the end-of-life collection and disposal of their products. The same action has been taken at a provincial level in Canada.
The national stewardship principles for electronics products were adopted by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) in June 2004.
Here, there are twelve key principles including the following: consumer access, product mix, the designation of responsible parties, performance targets and recycling standards. These principles provide a framework to develop and set up WEEE programs in each province and the harmonization of the key elements that are necessary for balancing environmental and economic considerations. Many Canadian provinces have developed, or are in the process of developing, their own schemes and legislation.
As a start, the scope of products being considered for regulation is focused on computer monitors, laptop and notebook computers, CPUs, printers and televisions. However, this list is expected to extend down the road.
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