Plympton-Wyoming considers a roadside education program for electronic waste

Plympton-Wyoming councillors want to make sure E waste isn’t making it to the landfill.
Councillors recently raised the issue saying they noticed old electronics at the side of the road in the municipality on garbage day. No one is sure whether the items made it to the landfill, according the Chief Administrative Officer Carolyn Tripp.
“Concerns were raised about the amount of E recycling that had been seen at the curbs and councillors wondered how we can assist people to see there are places to put it.”
Plympton-Wyoming is one of the few municipalities in Central Lambton which collects E waste. It has a depot at its public works garage in Reece’s Corners but it isn’t used as much as it could be.
Tripp says town staff will be working with Plympton-Wyoming’s garbage contractor – Marcotte Disposal – on a public awareness campaign to make sure the waste is diverted from the landfill.
“We may have Marcotte put a sticker on it which says where they can take it to be properly recycled,” she says adding the waste would then be left behind. “We don’t want it left at the side of the road with people wondering why…people need to be informed better that is not what is to be done with it…We just want to make sure it is properly disposed of.”
Tripp adds not only do electronics have hazardous materials such as lead in them, they can be successfully recycled for cash. “There is value there to recycle and there are things that shouldn’t end up in the landfill.”