Dear Honourable Catherine McKenna,
Environments all over the world are slowly getting less sustainable. This can be through pollution, deforestation and other harmful events humans and animals cause daily. One of the most harmful being, electronic waste. Electronic waste or e-waste is a term used when electronics stop functioning or become unwanted and end up in the dumps. It has been around ever since the first computer was created and is one of the fastest growing environmental problems in the world and is getting worse. If e-waste is not disposed of properly, it can release heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as; lead, mercury, and cadmium into the soils, air, and waterways which eventually will make it into the food chain.
The reason I have brought this issue to your attention is that Canadians need to be informed about the dangers of electronic waste. A study done in 2015 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found 90 percent of e-waste is being illegally dumped into landfills. The report stated that about 41.8 million metric tons of e-waste was generated around the globe in 2014. Although Canada’s share was only 725 metric tons, the global number could increase up to 50 metric tons by the end of this year! We as Canadians need to plan ahead and spread awareness about this problem.
One of the most common effects of e-waste in our environment is through air pollution. Whenever any type of new technology becomes available to the public, people are very quick to ditch their old devices and purchase the new and better technology. When people throw away old technology, it is usually done improperly and ends up in landfills where scavengers retrieve these poorly disposed electronics. They will often open-air burn these computer devices in order to get to the copper, gold and other metals inside. The open-air burning has a bad effect on the atmosphere releasing hydrocarbons into the air. Another way is by the removal of gold-plated computer chips as it emits brominated dioxins and heavy metals into the air, soil and then into the water. Both these toxins are linked to cancer, developmental defects, and other health problems. The way e-waste shifts into waterways are when the heavy metals seep through the soil. These toxins eventually make its path towards the groundwater channels then eventually run up to the surface. This process is called the water cycle. Once the affected water is at this point, it travels into ponds, streams, and rainwater. Intake of the contaminated water by humans or land animals, living in smaller communities, can result in lead poisoning. Some of these metals are also carcinogenic.
Within Canada, there are several businesses that all have the same goal to reduce electronic waste through the reuse and recycling program. The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) and Greentec are two of those companies that are focused on the issue of unwanted computers, laptops, and the negative impact it has on our environment. The Electronic Recycling Association is a non-profit organization located in Calgary, Alberta. This company was founded in 2004 to spread awareness on the growing problem of e-waste. During these 14 years, ERA has provided easy solutions to help individuals and companies increase the lifetime of their devices. ERA supplies charitable groups with donated IT ( Information Technology) equipment while securely managing the retiring IT assets of organizations across Canada. Greentec is an electronic recycling company located in Cambridge, Ontario. With a simple plan that benefits both citizens and the environment, Greentec will buy any type of old or unwanted technology, safely destroy all data on the device, and recycle the electronics. If the electronics are in a repairable condition, the Greentec employees will properly refurbish and resell these electronics at a discounted price. Both these organizations are two of the many in Canada working to solve this issue.
As previously mentioned, the Electronic Recycling Association and Greentec are both working towards the same goal. But these organizations need help from the government to make their efforts noticeable. I feel that the government can help these and other recycling businesses in becoming more profitable and productive by transferring some of the “Environmental Tax” that is collected at the point of sale of new electronic goods as an incentive to customers to bring back old and unwanted electronics by receiving a credit towards the purchase of a new electronic item.
By having a credit incentive it brings more awareness to customers to think about throwing away old and unused electronic goods and by doing so, reducing the environmental waste of toxins and hazardous materials which would normally end up in landfills. When the public can profit from these incentives by reducing the cost of new items and at the same time helps the economy because the public will be buying more goods and services due to this credit. It’s a win-win for the environment, businesses, and the people of Canada.
In conclusion, electronic waste is a major problem and will only get worse if nothing is done to solve it. Canadians and the world can do so by recycling their electronics the proper way or fixing the broken device. I believe the information I have provided above has expressed my thoughts, views, and concerns about this modern day issue and I hope you realize that this concern is real and is not going away and does need to be addressed.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my letter of concern for the environment of Canada and of the world. Canada, being the power that they have can set a new precedence and be a leader in preserving the environment. I look forward to hearing from you.