Whether we like or not we live in a consumerist culture and unfortunately a longstanding part of the electronics industry is planned obsolescence and the amount of e-waste that is produced here in North America is nothing short of staggering. There all sorts of negative environmental ramifications that come from this and unfortunately a lot of smartphones that have people are moving on from aren’t processed correctly. And most of the time that’s because they’re not properly disposed of, and you’d be surprised how many of them are just tossed into the trash. Most recycling depots here in Ontario will have the ability to take e-waste, but a lot of people can’t be bothered to make that trip.
All of this is really beyond the scope of a dumpster rental service for Trenton and Colborne like the one we have here at Load n’ Lift, and of course we rarely if ever have e-waste in the disposal bins we collect from customers and then take to transfer stations in this area of the Province. But any time there are good plans being put in place to improve recycling in Ontario it’s right in line with where our interests lie, and there is a bit of crossover between what we do and what these folks do. We imagine a good number of you who are reading this blog entry will be doing so on a smartphone, and even if it’s the newest model it will one day be ready to be retired too.
No one wants to see the amount of e-waste being improperly recycled increasing, and there’s good news on that front. The Province currently has an initiative that’s ready to be rolled out that will see phone recycling kiosks at select locations in cities where people can bring there old smartphones for easy drop-off and feel a little bit more of civic responsibility in knowing that device is going to be properly disposed of and any parts of it that can be recycled will be channeled to the right places. If you want to rent a dumpster in Colborne or Trenton you’ll call us, but make sure those old mobile devices go into these kiosks if you can.
$ for Your Used Phone
A waste pick up and disposal service for Belleville and Camborne may be what people need when they’re doing a major home renovation service or if a home is being demolished and then the property redeveloped. You’re not going to find heavy machinery at Walmart in either of those places, but what you will find at 13 Walmarts across Ontario starting soon are these phone recycling kiosks. Just think about how many Motorola Razr and other flip phones that were all the rage back then you’d find if these kiosks were rolled out 20 years ago.
But let’s stay on track. U.S.-based electronics recycler ecoATM will be providing 13 self-serve electronics recycling kiosks across the Greater Toronto Area, located in Walmart stores in Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington. This is something that is very much needed, because there are studies showing that over the past 5 years Canadians have generated nearly one million tonnes of e-waste, and that’s forecast to grow to 1.2 million tonnes annually by the end of the decade.
The fact it’s gotten so bad can’t be placed entirely on the consumers. Limited recycling and trade-in options have made it a challenge for folks to properly dispose of their used devices. ecoATM’s kiosks will change that by offering cash in exchange for used devices. The aim here is to empower consumers to give their old devices a second life while also giving them some more incentive to bring their devices to these locations. When used electronics are refurbished and kept out of landfills, people and the planet are going to benefit.
The model is proven to work already, as there are currently 6,500 of these kiosks across the United States and with them over 50 million devices have been collected to date. What this is doing is diverting more than 25 million pounds of e-waste from landfills, and that is a huge plus for anyone. Including those who need a dumpster rental for Port Hope or Thomasburg. Adding these new kiosks means ecoATM is now hoping to recycle 7.5 million devices across North America.
These kiosks use advanced diagnostics and real-time market pricing to take devices and determine their worth for the user. The whole thing will be completed in under seven minutes. Here’s how it works;
- Users clear personal data from their phone and perform a factory reset
- Then place their device in the kiosk, and it evaluates the type of device and its worth
- The kiosk then offers a quote for the value of the device and the user can choose to accept or reject that offer
- If accepted, the user gets cash for their device right then and there
The company’s Canadian rollout is part of their global expansion strategy. ecoATM and the partnership with WalMart Canada aims to further its mission of reducing the 50 million metric tons of e-waste produced around the world each year.
Call Load n’ Lift first if you need to rent a disposal bin anywhere in the vicinity of Trenton and Colborne in Ontario. We have mini-bins that are ideal for residential properties and with their roll-off design there’s much less chance of damaging the ground of the property. We can often have the bins delivered the same day you call for them, and we put a real emphasis on service and customer satisfaction here. There are discounts available for CFB Trenton personnel as well as for Seniors. Whatever type of job it is you have going on, we’ll be happy to hear from you and will have your dumpster bins on site right quick.
