International E-Waste Day 📠 2024 Cache In Trash Out® Event

According to the latest UN’s General E-Waste Monitor, in 2022, 62 billion kg of e-waste were generated globally. This means 1.55 million trucks filled with e-waste lined up along the Earth's equator. The quantity of e-waste is expected to rise to 82 billion kg by 2030. Currently, the amount of e-waste is growing five times faster than formal recycling collection rates since 2010. To help tackle this global problem, every year on October 14th, International E-Waste Day is celebrated. This awareness-raising event, initiated by the WEEE ForumAcc and its members, aims to highlight the importance of the formal and responsible management of e-waste and the solutions available to each citizen within their community. Last year, 195 companies from 55 countries took part in the celebrations by organizing events, e-waste collections, social media, and press campaigns.

This year’s edition runs under the slogan “Join the e-waste hunt - retrieve, recycle, and revive!” focusing on the unused electronics that people store in their homes without realising these items contain valuable materials that could gain a new life. E-waste includes anything with a plug, cable, or battery, but the most often ‘forgotten’ items are small electronics: old mobile phones, cables, USB keys, card readers, game consoles, and other devices that are often kept out of sight in drawers.This year's edition aims to inspire people to declutter their homes of unused or broken devices. By doing so, everyone can contribute to pollution reduction, resource conservation, and energy and CO2 savings. Source 

As October 14 falls on a long-weekend this year, I've decided to host on October 9 at Transcona Library parking lot. Come on out and do your part in helping to reduce the amount of E-waste that goes into our landfills! I will be collecting old electronics to recycle; if it fits in my car, I'll take it. You can find out what items are eligible to be recycled here. If you can't make it to the event but have items to declutter, you can check out this link to find the closest recycling spot to you. Let's do our small part to keep electronics out of landfills, and recycle the valuable elements they hold so less needs to be mined. Plus, you'll finally get rid of that obsolete fax machine - it's 2024, who still uses fax?

*Note: Some items that are not recyclable include space heaters and coffeemakers.*