Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

British Columbia To Charge Recycling Fee

Posted by kdawson on from the pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Next week the province of British Columbia will begin adding a recycling fee to new computers and TVs to pay for their free electronics recycling program. The list of what is acceptable for recycling is short, namely computers, printers, and TVs — you cannot recycle personal audio players or cell phones. What is unclear is whether the definition of 'desktop computer' includes self-built computers, and if so, their plans for adding fees for individual components such as motherboards, etc." The article notes that the recovered e-waste will not be sent to developing countries for processing. But one report says that the e-waste won't be recycled at all, but rather burned in a smelter.

6 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Next week the province of British Columbia will begin adding a RECYCLING FEE to new computers and TVs to pay for their FREE electronics recycling program.

    1. Re:Huh? by Mistlefoot · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "The one troubling thing is about how they plan on disposing of the waste."

      Yeah. Destroy it.

      I still use an older Compaq laptop (333mhz, 128mb of Ram) as a web server for a not very busy local sports league. It runs an Ubuntu lamp install and has a phpbb forum and about 100 unique visitors per day. Speed of the machine is never an issue.

      I also use another old Compaq (233mhz, 192mb of Ram) as a web browsing machine. It's also useful for updating the webserver as all my code I change is done via text editors. When my main machine is being used for gaming or what-not this older machine always handles the browsing, email, or chatting fine.

      My 70 year old father has another old machine - a P3 that he uses to print PDF's (horse racing forms). He does nothing else with it. He never touches it. I VNC in and output the PDF's to his printer every Friday.

      I would be more than happy to see older machines recycled if that's what actually happens. Ever price 128mb or 256mb PC100 ram lately? I imagine it being destroyed instead of actually being recycled.

      If machines were actually dropped off and dated and they allowed people to scavenge (even at a fee) and take what's good I'd like this more. Once a PC has been there for, oh, a week or two and no ones taken it's parts then destroy it. Because something is old doesn't mean it has no use. I would love to work at this recycling place because if it is like the other dumps in the area they would rather destroy stuff then let you take it - liability seems to be the reason........

      Recycling should mean recycling, not destroying, but I suspect that not very much recycling will go on.

  2. Not New by pipingguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Alberta already has something similar for monitors and televisions.

  3. Why do they call it recycling.... by mark-t · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... When they don't actually recycle the product, but apparently only dispose of it?

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. Re:not news by canuck57 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This fee is already charged in Alberta for the last couple of years. It was also introduced in Saskatchewan in February.

    While quite true. Why not do a complete job and have the prison system take ALL garbage, sort it into recycle. Aluminum here, paper there, biodegradable here, electronics there in stead of sitting on their asses for release date.

    And cut yet another form of taxation. GST+PST+EST is getting tax nuts. Almost 20% not including excise. As it IS about TAXES -- they want more of YOUR money!