This is what happens to the e-waste you drop off for recycling

So what should I do with my old electronics?

Recycling an item is the last 'R' of reduce, reuse and recycle. So while it involves the proper disposal of toxic elements, experts note that dealing with e-waste actually starts at the beginning, with our consumption.

Reuse programming like Computers for Schools seeks to extend the life of still-workingelectronics, especially when it comes to consumers upgradingto the newest models.

Josh Lepawsky, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, researches e-waste and where it goes. Though a lot of the waste from electronic products happens before it enters the consumer's hands, he explained that reusing a still-functional device is the best way to limit impact.

"No recycling process [has] 100 per cent recovery, even the best ones," he said. "Conserving, for as long as possible,the energy and materials that have gone into the thing already madeis really the best thing you can do with it."

Tech thrift shops and organizations contribute to this goal. Independently operatedFree Geek locations across Canada collect unwanted technology, which is then refurbished and circulated back to the public for free or at low cost.

Some non-profits also run programming.The CNIB Foundation, for example,refurbishes and loads accessibility apps onto donated cellphones, which are then given topeople affected by blindness.

If it's broken, where can I recycle it?

Each province and territory has different options that leave the choice in your hands. The selection varies depending on your location. Some of these locations can include, but are not exclusive to:

• Municipal collection sites (like waste depots and recycling centres).

• Special collection events (like those arranged for Earth Day).

• Manufacturers or stores involved with "return to retail" (R2R) recycling initiatives, like Staples, Best Buy, and Canadian Tire. Some of them even offer gift cards as incentives.

And some non-profits provide a way for otherparties,such as manufacturers and retailers, to managetheir end-of-life products. The Electronic Products Recycling Association accepts a range of electronics which it may resell or recycle, for example, while Call2Recycle Canada mostly accepts batteries.

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The collection, transportation and recycling costs are covered by a surcharge, called an eco-fee, that is paidwhen you first buy items like phones and batteries. The fee charged dependson the item and varies by province or territory.

Items accepted for recycling also change by locationeven within the same organization.Check online or call before you head out to your nearest drop-off location. What's helpful is that many locations accept any brand of product, regardless of where you purchased it.

What about my data?

Recycling centres recommend properly wiping any personal data from your device and removing its SIM card before you bring it to a drop-off location. This includes drop-off buckets that you might see in retail stores, like Best Buy. Don't assume they'll do it for you. (Best Buy's Geek Squad offers to help erase your phone if you're unsure on how exactly to clear it properly.)

Other companies, like Greentec,have secure data destruction in their mandate; theycan also provide you with a certificate ofdestruction or even video proof of hardware shredding.

How does therecycling process work?

Each organization has its own method forrecycling.

Some items, like batteries, are separated and melted down into varying elements, such as lead and nickel. Powerful shredders can also break up electronicsinto a powder. In the end, some material can be sold back into the market.

(It is illegal in Canada to export e-waste to developing nations.)

In terms of where this material goes, Kate Parizeau, a waste management researcher at the University of Guelph, saysthat your recycled cellphone isn't necessarily turned into new one. Instead, it can end up in other products.

"This is a chronic issue with our imaginations of waste," she said. "We think that there's a really cyclical process.But it's not the case."

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She explained that long manufacturing chains, like those at larger companies like Apple, make recycled material difficult to track, especially when that information is proprietary.

Lepawsky echoed her sentiment. "It gets very complicated, very quickly in terms of where stuff goes," he said.

He pointed to Electronics Product Stewardship Canada, whose memberorganizations publish annual reports,as a way to findout what happens tosome of the material.

And here's one example for you

Call2Recycle Canada operates a countrywide programfor recycling batteries. The organization's president, Joe Zenobio, explained that our tech-heavy homes are inundated with batteries, which Call2Recycle attempts to divert from landfills.

"The average household has about 80 to 100 batteries in it, between television remotes, garage door openersand power tools," he said. "Last year alone, we collected across Canada and recycled about threemillion kilograms."

Since its inception, the program has collected more than 19 million kilograms of batteries (as of 2018).

This is what a battery's journey looks like if you drop one off at one of Call2Recycle's partners.

1. Drop-off: You drop off your battery at a collection centre near you, such as a participating hardware store.
   
2. Sorting: Your battery is sent to one of their four sorting facilities across Canada.
   
3. Separation: Individuals will separate the batteries into different drums based on composition: alkaline, lithium, etc.
   
4. Processing: The batteries are sent to different processing centres. Your battery's destination will depend on what it is made from. Nickel-based batteries, for example, are sent to Sudbury, Ont.
   
5. Extraction: Metals are extracted from the batteries through two ways. Thermal treatment involves a furnace heating up the metals in rechargeable batteries, which drip into moulds. Single-use batteries are crushed into a powder instead of melted.
   
6. Market: Metals are sold back on the market for reuse. For example, zinc is often used in consumer product goods like sunscreens and fertilizers. Call2Recycle declined to comment on where exactly these materials end up.

Helpful tip: Build a battery check into your schedule. Zenobio says Call2Recycle Canada recommends checking your home for old batteries, along with checking your smoke detectors, around the switch to and from daylight time. He says to start on the bottom floor and work your way up, checking cupboards, drawers and devices as you go.