Would you notice an extra $1.97 the next time you buy a laptop?  |  June 4, 2008  

Environment Canada reports we dumped 140,000 tonnes of e-waste into landfills between 2004 and 2005, and it expects that flow of discarded tech to triple by 2011. That's a scary stat, but I'm not about to advocate that we stop buying new technology or even slow our upgrade cycles. Heck, according to the Conference Board of Canada we're already under investing in new technology. In 2005, the average per-worker investment in ICT-related equipment in the U.S. was $3,200. In Canada it was $1,800. I don't want to erode that number any further.

But we do need to manage that waste in an environmentally responsible manner, and here's the good news: that is an entirely attainable goal. Vendors are doing it: Xerox announced in November of last year that, worldwide, its recycling efforts had diverted two billion pounds of print cartridges and toner away from landfills, and HP is now building inkjet cartridges out of recycled plastic; it claims to have used five million pounds of post-consumer plastic in 2007, with twice as much slated for 2008.

And there are private e-waste centres popping up all over Canada. Backbone's recent story introduces one particularly inventive guy in Barrie, Ont., who turns mixed plastic waste into diesel fuel. He plans to produce 500 litres of diesel per hour soon at one plant alone.

But as successful as these spot initiatives are, an industry-wide recycling program would be that much more effective. That's why I hope a levy (or green tax, call it what it is) proposed by Waste Diversion Ontario takes off. The plan is to pay for e-waste recycling by adding a few bucks to the price of new electronics.

The proposal would add $12.36 to the cost of desktops, $1.97 to laptops, $10.99 for monitors, $0.35 for peripherals, $4.64 for printers, etc. If the proposal passes in the fall, Ontario will join B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and PEI.

The levy is a great idea. I suspect even large companies which buy 500 laptops in one shot will not grouch too much about the extra $1,000 fee, especially if all manufacturers are charging it, and I can't see any consumers getting upset about the additional $2 for one notebook. And even if people do bellyache, tough. It's a good idea and the proposal should be passed by the Ontario legislature.

Peter Wolchak