I found this out at a recent tour of Genesis Recycling of Aldergrove BC, London Drugs’ recycling partner. Most of us just take our plastics, tin and glass to the blue box and forget about it. For electronics and packaging, London Drugs makes it as easy as bringing them back to the store. But what happens behind the scenes is far from simple. Recent news stories have shown electronics and other recyclables simply dumped in third world countries, sometimes with toxic effects. Computers and other data-carrying devices have ended up re-sold or scavenged, sometimes with the old users’ data still on them.
Neither of these scenarios was acceptable to VP Clint Mahlman (pictured above) and the London Drugs Green Deal team. So they have worked diligently with Genesis President Bruce Shore to develop systems and procedures that protect data and make sure all London Drugs recyclables end up as commodities for manufacture, rather than landfill.
Lets start with Styrofoam. London Drugs is the only major retailer that will take back packaging from products purchased there, including those awkward blocks of protective polystyrene foam. This is not cheap to do, as Styrofoam is light, but takes up truckloads of space. Genesis uses a condensing system that turns an 8-foot high pallet of styro blocks into a 40-lb plastic blob about the size of a small car tire. This condensed styrene is then shipped and sold for the manufacture of such items as plastic patio light shells. Right now, it costs London Drugs money to provide this service as reselling the plastic does not cover the costs. But it sure feels good to know that over the last 18 months we have diverted 40 semi-trucks full of Styrofoam from our landfills – that’s 50,000 lbs!
On the electronics side, Genesis and London Drugs are just as diligent. First, when you bring back any data-carrying item to the store, they will physically damage the drive right there before sending it out. Once at Genesis, all computers and appliances are taken apart by hand, separated into their components and the drives permanently destroyed. This two-step process ensures the data cannot be recovered, and all commodities shipped from Genesis are ready to be sold for remanufacture or further processing.
It was a real eye-opener, seeing how the recycling process can help close the loop between disposal and manufacturing right here in our back yard. But we need the support of London Drugs customers and the political will to make it happen on an even larger scale. So shop responsibly, and bring back your old electronics, appliances and packaging. A letter to your local MLA in support of home-grown recycling solutions wouldn’t hurt either.
Keep on recyclin’.
June 5th, 2009
