Toronto electronics disposal?
December 19, 2009 6:40 AM Subscribe
Where can I dispose of broken tech and appliances in Toronto?
I've got a bunch of old, dead computer parts, a busted laptop, a dead vacuum, and well the list goes on. I've been hoarding them since I can't just toss them in the garbage obviously. We're paying a disposal tax now on all electronics purchases and I thought that disposal centers went along with that but I can't seem to find them. Anyone know the best way to dispose of this stuff? Thanks.
I've got a bunch of old, dead computer parts, a busted laptop, a dead vacuum, and well the list goes on. I've been hoarding them since I can't just toss them in the garbage obviously. We're paying a disposal tax now on all electronics purchases and I thought that disposal centers went along with that but I can't seem to find them. Anyone know the best way to dispose of this stuff? Thanks.
You may want to call the city ahead of time and make sure they know that you've put these things out. I put out an old CRT monitor twice on different garbage days last summer and it never got picked up. I did call ahead to inform them of stuff like an old, broken file cabinet, and that was picked up.
posted by maudlin at 7:36 AM on December 19, 2009
posted by maudlin at 7:36 AM on December 19, 2009
I'll typically drive this stuff out to the regional dump, the attendant usually asks what I'm throwing out and I let him tell me where to toss it. I'm out in Halton, mind you, so this may not help much in the city.
FWIW I've never had to pay anything to toss this stuff out (old computer cases, junked power supplies, mobos, etc), but I've heard in some cases they'll make you.
posted by smitt at 9:19 AM on December 19, 2009
FWIW I've never had to pay anything to toss this stuff out (old computer cases, junked power supplies, mobos, etc), but I've heard in some cases they'll make you.
posted by smitt at 9:19 AM on December 19, 2009
Hackerspaces eat dead electronics and spit out new, fun things. Maybe HackLab.to would be interested in your donation?
posted by lowlife at 8:11 PM on December 19, 2009
posted by lowlife at 8:11 PM on December 19, 2009
You are better off throwing it in the garbage and hope it ends up in a landfill nearby. And then hopefully in the future it will be profitable to mine the landfill for recyclables (but don't count on it).
Sending to a recycling facility will just mean sending it to China where they sort your junk and savage the recyclables (pretty much just the tiny amount of gold in the electronics) and then dump the rest of it in a landfill.
So if you want to ship off your computer halfway around the world to save a few grams of gold, then send it off to a recycling place, otherwise just junk it in the garbage and forget about it, you are fooling yourself if you think your 10 year old computer or TV or whatever electronics is still valuable.
posted by abbat at 10:01 PM on January 15, 2010
Sending to a recycling facility will just mean sending it to China where they sort your junk and savage the recyclables (pretty much just the tiny amount of gold in the electronics) and then dump the rest of it in a landfill.
So if you want to ship off your computer halfway around the world to save a few grams of gold, then send it off to a recycling place, otherwise just junk it in the garbage and forget about it, you are fooling yourself if you think your 10 year old computer or TV or whatever electronics is still valuable.
posted by abbat at 10:01 PM on January 15, 2010
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You can also drop it off at specific depots.
Finally, you can search for other options near you.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:25 AM on December 19, 2009