Recycling fee Tacked Onto Every TV or Computer Sold in Ontario

by Rob Walker | July 10, 2008 at 11:19 am

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Anyone buying a computer or Television in Ontario after april 1st, 2009 will be paying more after a recycling levy goes into effect.

It's not an April Fools joke, it's an attempt to offset the processing costs associated with transporting and recycling used electronic goods.

The costs to start are $10 for a TV and anywhere from $2-13 dollars for a computer. One wonders if the size of the television will affect how much you'll have to pay in recycling fees.

Some people think it's taking too long, and that trash is piling up in the meantime:

Well it looks as though there has been some movement on this. But its still not good enough.

The earliest a program could be underway in Ontario is 2009 and, if there’s political or consumer backlash, it could take even longer. There is a provincial election Oct. 10.

I’m glad to see movement but two years? I can’t help but think the up coming election is pushing this out. And as the article points out this is the third announcement of this initiative since 2004. The provincial government could be moving forward much faster..

TORONTO — Ontario is putting fees on every TV and computer sold in the province in the first phase of a recycling program that will see fees on nearly all electronic products.
The Toronto Star reports that Environment Minister John Gerretsen is signing a regulation today on a new program aimed at increasing the recycling of electronics.

Producers and importers will have to start paying the fees — which are under $14 — starting next April, but it’s unclear how much of the cost the consumer will pick up.

The money will go to an organization established by Waste Diversion Ontario to fund the collection and recycling of products from drop-off spots around the province.

Beginning April 1, manufacturers and importers will pay $10.07 for each new television sold, while computer fees range from $2 to $13, the Toronto Star reported.

Wednesday, provincial Environment Minister John Gerretsen said a non-governmental agency would use the fees to administer some 650 drop-off and recycling facilities throughout the province.

The program for TVs and computers is just the beginning of the province's plans. Waste Diversion Ontario, which creates and runs recycling programs for the province, will today begin drafting the next phase of electronics recycling in Ontario. By next summer, the agency will put forward a plan to recycle nearly all other electronic products.

The ultimate purpose of adding recycling fees is to force manufacturers to create more environmentally friendly products.

Under the program, the fees, which are expected to total $62 million in the first year, could drop in future years if, for example, the cost to recycle the products decreases because manufacturers have removed lead or mercury components.