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As Earth Day approaches, many people are looking for meaningful ways to celebrate the world’s largest environmental movement. While the urgency needed to tackle these issues requires a sustained effort all year long, marking April 22 with an activity that makes a positive impact on the planet is a great start. This year, consider starting a new tradition by recycling your old electronics on Earth Day.

If you are like 80 percent of Canadians, you probably have your last three smart phones, an old laptop, broken portable speakers and some other random peripherals sitting in a closet or drawer somewhere at home. The average Canadian generates a staggering 20 kilograms of end-of-life electronics each year. Those electronics are filled with resources that can be put back into the manufacturing supply — everything from glass and plastic to gold, silver, copper and palladium. Basically, that drawer of dead devices has loads of untapped potential that shouldn’t go to waste.

Tech shouldn’t be toxic

Electronics that end up in landfills and incinerators pose an even greater risk because toxic materials are released back into the ground, air and water as they break down. To protect the planet and everything living on it from this risk, we need to find ways to divert e-waste from Canadians landfills or from being illegally exported and mishandled.

The good news is a not-for-profit organization called Recycle My Electronics is doing just that by making it easy for Canadians to recycle electronics safely and securely. All you have to do is take your end-of-life electronics to one of their drop-off locations. They will be sent to a Recycle My Electronics-approved recycling facility for safe and secure dismantling and recycling. Wiping your data first is recommended.

Recycling made simple

Close to 17 million devices are recycled through the program every year in Canada. With a network of over 2,300 authorized collection locations across the country, and more being added each day, every Canadian is within 25 km of one. In major city centres, you are likely to have more than a handful of options within a few kilometres of your home or work.

You can find the drop-off location nearest you by visiting Recycle My Electronics and entering your postal code or address. A list of all of the items accepted at each location is also listed — anything from televisions, monitors and printers to cameras, VCRs and car speakers.

The program is managed by the Electronics Products Recycling Association (ERPA) according to the highest environmental standards at every stage of the recycling process. They put stringent protocols in place around where, how, and by whom the materials are handled. So, you can rest easy knowing that the privacy and security of your personal property and information, as well as the safety of environment and the employees handling the materials are top priorities.

There is little doubt that Canadians love their electronics. They make our lives easier and more fun. If recycling them helps the environment by extending natural resources through reuse, then it is just one more way for us to enjoy our tech responsibly.

Join your fellow Canadians in the movement and hit up a Recycle My Electronics location this April 22 to make a meaningful Earth Day contribution.