Where Old Computers Go: Recyclers, Refurbishers and Stewardship Programs

The drawer of doom

Almost every home has one: a drawer or box of old phones, chargers, earbuds and that laptop that "might be useful someday". Those devices are not doing any harm in the drawer, but they are not doing any good either. The metals inside could be making new devices, and a working laptop could be helping a student who has none.

This lesson is about the agencies, programs and businesses that take old electronics and give them a second life.

Who is responsible in Ontario?

Ontario uses producer responsibility for electronics. Under the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation, made under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, the companies that make or sell information technology, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment (computers, phones, printers, TVs and more) have been responsible since January 1, 2021 for collecting and recycling those products when people are done with them. Before that, Ontario's program was run by Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES), which ended on December 31, 2020.

The regulator that oversees these rules is the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA). Producers usually join a producer responsibility organization that runs collection sites for them.

The idea behind producer responsibility is simple: if a company has to pay to recycle its products, it has a reason to design products that are easier to recycle.

Where can things go?

Local community recycling centres and depots. Most Ontario municipalities have a waste depot or special collection days that accept electronics and batteries. Your city or town's waste website lists what it takes.

Retailer take-back. Some electronics retailers accept old devices, chargers and batteries for recycling, sometimes even if you did not buy them there.

Refurbishers. Computers for Schools Plus is a Government of Canada program, running since 1993, that refurbishes donated computers and other devices and gives them to schools, libraries, not-for-profit organizations, Indigenous communities and eligible low-income Canadians. It also gives young people paid internships refurbishing equipment. Private companies also buy, refurbish and resell used computers and phones, often with a warranty.

Printer cartridge recycling programs. Many printer makers run return programs for used ink and toner cartridges, and some stores have drop-off boxes. Some cartridges are refilled and reused.

Battery programs. Call2Recycle runs battery drop-off locations across Canada, often in stores. Remember: lithium-ion batteries must never go in the household garbage or blue box.

Before a device leaves your hands

A computer or phone holds your photos, messages, saved passwords and account sign-ins. Before you donate, sell or recycle it:

1. Back up anything you want to keep (you learn backup strategies in the unit Computer Environments and Systems).
2. Sign out of accounts and turn off device-finding features, so the next owner can set it up.
3. Wipe the device with a factory reset (or ask the refurbisher about their certified data-erasure process).
4. Remove SIM cards and memory cards.

Reputable refurbishers and recyclers explain how they erase data and how they handle what they can't reuse. A good question to ask: "Where does the material go after you collect it?" Shipping e-waste to countries without safe recycling facilities moves the harm somewhere else; the international Basel Convention, which Canada has joined, controls shipments of hazardous waste between countries.

The decision tree as code

The decision tree above is a perfect fit for the selection structures you learned in Programming Basics: