Grade 12 student spearheads drive to keep e-waste out of landfill

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This article was published 23/04/2022 (1433 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JORDAN Dearsley envisions a world free from electronic waste, and she is determined to do her part to make that dream a reality.

For the second consecutive year, the Grade 12 student is hosting an e-waste collection drive to gather used computers, cellphones, routers and other electronics that might otherwise make their way into the landfill.

“(I’m) just convincing people to be aware of their waste and know that it needs to be recycled,” the teen says of her decision to champion the cause. “There’s so much inaction when it comes to climate change that I thought, ‘Why not me? If no one else, why not me?’”

Many electronics contain precious materials, including silver, lithium, copper and aluminum that can be recycled and repurposed in other devices. They can also contain toxic chemicals that can leech into soil and groundwater if left to rot in landfills.

Environment Canada has considered e-waste an environmental hazard for more than a decade, and global production rates continue to rise annually.

The Global E-waste Statistics Partnership, an international watchdog, reported humans generated nearly 54 million tonnes of e-waste in 2019 alone, a 21 per cent increase since 2014.

Consumerism and technological advancements contribute to excess electronic waste. Updates and upgrades can quickly make cellphones and computers obsolete, and many users prefer to replace their devices rather than live without the latest features, Dearsley says.

And while Dearsley recognizes she can’t single-handedly save the world, at the very least she can educate and hopefully inspire others to be more responsible.

“(Society needs to move) towards a circular economy where we are continuously using materials instead of taking, making and wasting them,” she says. “Trash is not trash. There is no ‘away.’”

Dearsley, who has dreamed of becoming an environmental engineer since she was a child, is asking Winnipeg residents to deposit their unwanted electronics into a secure lockbox located at CF Polo Park’s guest services area to be safely disposed of or recycled, she says, adding the box will be available until May 9.

Her collection drive began Friday, coinciding with the internationally celebrated Earth Day.

For her efforts, Dearsley hopes to earn a scholarship from the Electronics Recycling Association, a national e-waste recycling organization. Last year, she participated in the same collection drive and won $3,000 for her education.

The non-profit organization rewards students for collecting e-waste on its behalf, but has faced scrutiny from another American watchdog, the Basel Action Network.

In 2018, BAN released a report alleging it had placed trackers in ERA e-waste exports and followed them to illicit dump sites in Pakistan and Hong Kong. ERA filed a defamation lawsuit against BAN for the allegations but dropped later it.

Winnipeg is home to dozens of federally certified e-waste recyclers.

All the city’s 4R depots and numerous scrap-metal dealers accept e-waste materials, including cables, chargers, appliances, stereos and televisions.

Charitable organizations, such as Computers for Schools Manitoba, collect and repurpose computers, printers and scanners. And other non-profits, including Mother Earth Recycling, Sscope Inc. and Equal Opportunities West hire people with employment barriers to responsibly process e-waste.

In 2018, the province diverted roughly 3,000 tonnes of electronic materials from landfills, Statistics Canada reports.

While the data suggests recycling is trending in the right direction, Dearsley approaches the future with cautious optimism, opting to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

“All I know is, I can’t control the world, so I am going to work toward being an environmental engineer,” she says. “I can’t control (the) uncertainty. All I can do is work hard towards going to school.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca