Nova Scotia's New Electronic Waste Regulations

摘要

By 2010, an estimated 184,000 tonnes of selected used electrical and electronics products (e-waste) will be discarded each year in Canada. Those materials will be comprised of more than 45,000 tonnes of glass, 4,500 tonnes of aluminum, 48,000 tonnes of ferrous metals, 39,000 tonnes of plastics plus various quantities of lead, cadmium, mercury and combinations of various chemicals and compounds, including the controversial polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a flame retardant found in many plastic components. Maine, California, Alberta and Ontario (which together represent close to 50 million people) have implemented (or are close to implementing) legislation or regulations to divert this tide of e-waste from landfill. Some states are implementing bans on the disposal of certain items such as cathode ray tubes. Certain provinces (such as Manitoba, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan) are in various stages of public consultation prior to implementation of programs to capture, reuse and recycle e-waste products.