I am a HUGE proponent of recycling and re-use of items to avoid accumulations in our land fills.  Having worked in the computer industry for the last 20 years, I have seen huge amounts of electronics goods 'thrown away', and have become educated on the effects of this on the environment - computer components are manufactured with environmentally hazardous materials that either do not break down or become a hazard if they do.   Unfortunately, electronic goods and computers become obsolete very quickly, and when they become defective, the cost of repair is far higher than the cost of replacement - dooming these items to the trash bin, and becoming a burden on our environment.

 

Over the years I have sought out recycling solutions, and have now gotten close to my personal 'zero waste' target when working with my customers - and I want to share that information with as many people as possible.

 

For the past several years, I have dealt with Fraser Valley Metal Exchange for computer recycling.  They are located in Maple Ridge near the Albion Ferry, and they accept all kinds of Electronics goods for recylcing.  You can visit their website at http://www.fvme.com/.   You should be aware that their site is very 'industrial' and what I have found to work the best is to have them drop a 'bin' at the edge of their driveway and unload my materials there.   They also provide pickup services.  Phone: (604) 467-7878.

 

Closer to home, Happy Stan recycling in Port Coquitlam also provides E-waste recycling services, although I have not dealt with them personally.   http://www.happystan.com or phone 604 464 0242.

 

OK - update - since orginally writing this I have had the opportunity on several occasions to use the services of HappyStan recycling.  The facility is clean, access is easy, and the people are great.  I was given a tour of the facility and shown that the E-goods that are brought in are dismantled and sorted and all of the materials recycled - very encouraging to see the effort they are putting into this.  There is a charge for TVs but most everything else is free.

 

Also in Port Coquitlam is Techotrash  http://www.technotrashrecycling.com/ - they accept computer items for recycling and re-use, and recover useable components for donations as well. Ph:  604 942 7415