Aimed at increasing the recycling and reuse rates for beverage containers, household hazards, and electronic waste in Toronto, the Recycling Plus collection facility accepted its first box of mixed recyclables in February. The Beer Store, a Canadian retail outlet that sells alcohol, collaborated with Sims Recycling Solutions, Canada, and Stewardship Ontario to launch this one-stop recycling depot.
At the depot’s west end location, consumers can drop off obsolete household electronics, batteries and paint, and return empty alcohol bottles and cans for a deposit. Recycling Plus is open daily. Stewardship Ontario, through its Orange Drop Program, will manage the collection and safe processing of batteries, paints, stains, and coatings. Sims Recycling Solutions, Canada, will process the returned electronic waste.
Recycling Plus will not accept automotive paint, marine paints, aerosols, smoke detectors, medical electronics, or electronics containing ozone-depleting substances, such as air conditioners.
“In Ontario, there are many product stewardship organizations, each managing separate streams of recyclables,” said Cindy Coutts, president, Sims Recycling Solutions, Canada. “This is the first collaborative effort that makes it easy for citizens to return a variety of recyclables to one location.”
At the facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony, Ontario’s Minister of the Environment Jim Bradley stated, “Ensuring that waste is collected and managed properly is vital to keeping our land and water clean. So it is great to have a facility like this: a true one-stop shop where waste-conscious Ontarians can bring their bottles, paint, batteries, and electronics. I applaud The Beer Store’s integrated approach to recycling, which is a first for Ontario.”
Coutts, also present at the ceremony, reminded attendees that Ontario, home to 39 percent of Canada’s population, requires residents to recycle Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment. Coutts estimates that there is an opportunity to recover, reuse, and recycle nearly 75,000 metric tons of WEEE per year in Ontario alone. “Sims is thrilled to have the opportunity to responsibly recycle the electronics collected at Recycling Plus at the world’s most technologically advanced WEEE processing facility in Mississauga,” said Coutts.