Summerhill Impact delivered one-day electronic take-back events at 14 Sears stores in Eastern Ontario as part of the Ontario Electronic Stewardship’s “Do What You Can” program. The take-back events promoted the safe disposal and recycling of retired electronics and reduced the amount of electronic waste sent to landfill sites.

Interesting facts regarding this program include:

• Events accepted computers (hard drives and laptops), televisions, computer monitors, printers and computer peripherals, such as keyboards and mice
• Electronic waste can leak toxic heavy metals (such as lead and mercury) and harmful chemicals (such as arsenic, beryllium and cadmium) that end up in our soil and water supply if sent to landfill
• In just one day, we collected more than 71,200 kilograms of e-waste, which is equivalent to approximately 5,225 items (based on 14kg/item average)

Program Participants were given the opportunity to dispose of their old electronic equipment at no charge, in easy-to-access venues, and offered a limited time financial incentive toward the purchase of new televisions.

Our Industry Partner, Ontario Electronic Stewardship, funded the program and was able to provide e-waste collection points to a large portion of the Ontario public.

Our Retail Partner, Sears Canada, provided the physical locations for the events and was able to offer a valuable service to their customers, increasing customer loyalty as well as television sales.