County to move on electronic recycling
by Richard Blanchard

Simcoe County has given its provisional approval to a trial program to expand the recycling of household hazardous waste products and electronic equipment.

The county's Corporate Services committee gave provisional approval to a plan to allow residents to drop off many hazardous waste products and electronic/electrical equipment at two county landfill sites during their normal hours of operation.

The plan would see two landfill sites in North and West Simcoe which already have the Ministry of Environment approvals in place for collecting the hazardous waste.

If successful, the program would be expanded to all county landfill sites.

Among the material which would allowed to be collected would be low hazardous material such as batteries, paint, motor oil and fluorescent bulbs but not materials such as pesticides and herbicides.

The low hazardous materials already make up the bulk of items collected at the monthly hazardous days which are held at three locations through the county during the spring and summer months.

The county foresees that upwards of 400 tonnes of electronic and electrical equipment could eventually be collected at the county's landfills and diverted from landfill.

County staff hopes that the cost of the expanded program may be helped with the province's decision to expand the recycling of electronic and electric goods