Royal City residents who are decluttering as part of spring cleaning don't have far to go to dispose of their unwanted small appliances.
A small appliance recycling program, Unplugged, has been underway in B.C. since Oct. 1. Small appliances can now be taken to drop-off locations instead of being tossed in the garbage.
"It is going quite well," said Mark Kurschner, president of the Product Care Association. "We have got over 100 collection sites. We started with 100. We have been adding to that."
The local drop-off location for appliances is at the Salvation Army Thrift Store at 774 Columbia St.
Unplugged's depots accept a range of appliances including blenders, coffee pots, microwaves, bathroom scales, irons, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, clocks, toasters and electrical toothbrushes
"It's pretty broad," Kurschner said about the items accepted. "It's 120 different types of products. We have them broken into categories."
The Unplugged website, which is found at www.unplugged recycling.ca, includes a list of all the items accepted for recycling.
"The estimate is two million a year were getting tossed," Kurschner said. "That is a lot of products that are getting thrown out."
If people discover old or broken small appliances while doing their spring cleaning, they can be dropped off at an Unplugged collection site.
"We strongly encourage them to bring them and get recycled," Kurschner said.
Collection sites are based in a variety of locations, including bottle depots, thrift stores and municipal sites. More than 90 per cent of the collection spots are located in places that also collect computers for recycling.
"Trucks pick up the bags and pallets. They are taken to recycling," he said. "Everything gets taken apart and dismantled."
Items are sorted into categories like metal, glass and copper and recycled accordingly. Once recycled, they will find their way back into the marketplace, although it may not be as small appliances.
Prior to Oct. 1, products such as beverage containers, computers, paint and tires were subject to products stewardship programs.
"It was over a year ago the government added small appliances and other products," Kurschner said. "That was industry's time to get started."
By diverting those small appliances from the landfills, Unplugged will help reduce pollution, save energy and protect the environment.
"This is a welcome addition to B.C.'s industry-managed and funded recycling programs," said Recycling Council of B.C. executive director Brock Macdonald in a press release. "By diverting small appliances from municipal waste streams, Unplugged will recover valuable resources, promote conservation and reduce waste management costs for local governments throughout the province."
Unplugged, a non-profit program, is fully funded by a recycling fee that's now being applied to new products. The recycling fee, which covers all program costs, ranges from 25 cents (very small items such as air fresheners) to $2.25 (blenders and toasters) to a high of $10 for a large countertop microwave.
"There is no cost to drop off," Kurschner said. "It doesn't matter when you bought it."
Unplugged, the first small appliance recycling program of its kind in Canada, was developed by the Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association. The association partnered with the B.C.-based Product Care Association to set up and operate Unplugged throughout B.C.
"It seems to be catching on," Kurschner said. "It is off to a good start."
