Remember Electronics Recycling This Holiday Season

As Nova Scotians receive the latest high-tech gadgets this holiday season, they are reminded that old electronics must be sent for reuse or recycling and cannot be placed in the garbage.

"Nova Scotians are world leaders when it comes to recycling," said Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau. "It's important that we remember the three Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle - at this time of the year."

Used electronics can be given away to family or friends, sold or donated to a charitable organization, such as Computers for Schools (http://trp.ednet.ns.ca/).

The two approved electronic recycling programs for people and businesses to dispose of electronics are the Atlantic Canada Stewardship Association (ACES) and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA).

• ACES accepts used computers, printers, televisions, audio and video systems, telephones and fax machines free of charge. For a map of the 38 drop-off depots located across the province, visit www.acestewardship.ca/ns/locations.asp .

• CWTA's Recycle My Cell program collects cellphones, wireless PDAs, batteries and pagers free of charge at retail stores across the province or by mail.

The electronics recycling program is one of Nova Scotia's three regulated product stewardship programs. Electronics, paint, and tire programs help divert waste from Nova Scotia landfills.

Nova Scotia also has voluntary product stewardship agreements for milk packaging, newspapers, yellow pages directories and residentially used sharps such as needles, syringes and lancets.

These programs will play an important role to help Nova Scotia reach its waste disposal target of no more than 300 kilograms per person per year by 2015.

To view Our Path Forward, Nova Scotia's solid-waste resource management strategy, visit: www.gov.ns.ca/nse/waste/docs/Solid.Waste.Strategy-Our.Path.Forward.2011.pdf