Unplugged Small Appliance Recycling Program launches in BC

Over the past few years, shoppers in BC have been participating in stewardship programs for the recycling of landfill-clogging items such as old tires, car batteries and consumer electronics. Now the same strategy is being put to work to deal with the 2 million old appliances that end up in BC landfills every year.

As of October 1, 2011, the Unplugged Small Appliance Recycling Program has mandated that retailers in B.C. collect Eco Fees when selling small appliances – things like hair dryers, blenders, microwaves and clock radios. These fees are charged on new purchases, which funds the collection and recycling of the old stuff. (Items NOT covered include commercial appliances and anything not powered by electricity) The upside is, your old small appliances can now be dropped off for free at over 100 locations across the province.

At London Drugs we have been accepting and recycling our customers’ old small appliances for some time, and we are pleased to continue this service at no charge.

For our customers outside BC, we will continue to accept appliances for free recycling when a replacement is purchased in our stores. And whenever you recycle with London Drugs you know all your old appliances and electronics are disassembled responsibly, right here in BC.

Here is a sample of the small appliance fees we are now required by law to collect in British Columbia (Eco Fees are added automatically when the product is scanned and will show on a separate line on your receipt)

Product Category | Description | Recycling Fee

1 | Kitchen Countertop Motorized (e.g. blender) | $2.25
2 | Kitchen Countertop Heating (e.g. toaster) | $2.25
3 | Kitchen Countertop Coffee/Tea (e.g. Coffee Maker) | $2.00
4 | Large Microwave (1 cubic foot and over) | $10.00
5 | Small Microwave (Less than I cubic foot) | $7.50
6 | Time Measurement (e.g. Clock) | $0.75
7 | Weight Measurement (e.g. Bathroom scale) | $2.75
8 | Garment Care (e.g. Iron) | $1.00
9 | Air treatment (e.g. Air purifier) | $2.25
10 | Desk and Tabletop Fans | $1.25
11 | Personal Care (e.g. Hair Dryer) | $1.00
12 | Large Floor Cleaning (e.g. Carpet Cleaner) | $5.25
13 | Small Floor Cleaning (e.g. Handheld Vacuum) | $1.00
14 | Designated very small Items (e.g. Air Freshener) | $0.25

These Eco Fees are designed to deliver significant environmental benefits, covering the cost of collecting and recycling the product. Consumers of these products now share the cost of recycling rather than all taxpayers paying for landfilling or incineration.

Fees collected go to The Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association (CESA), a not-for-profit agency comprised of manufacturers, distributors and retailers. CESA chose the Product Care Association (managers of the CFL recycling program), to be the program manager for the BC Small Appliances Recycling Program.

BC Environment Minister Terry Lake said in a press release, “These programs have helped put B.C. on the map as an environmental leader, and we are happy to continue this tradition.”

And London Drugs will continue to lead the way by making recycling as easy as possible for our customers. That’s the real Green Deal.