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What people are saying about the program ...

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“Cardinal Couriers has shipping resources across the entire province and once we realized the kind of volumes that we could help OES move, we knew it was a good business decision to sign on,” said Ian McLean, President of Cardinal Couriers. “We are now picking up from collection locations all over Ontario, so the program has created additional positions within our company. I personally feel proud to be part of something that stimulates job creation in Ontario.”

Scott McIntyre, Owner, Intyre Electronic Recycling (June 2011)

“The Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority fully endorses extended producer responsibility.  The Ontario Electronic Stewardship program is one example of businesses taking responsibility for the waste materials that they create as opposed to passing these costs on to the municipal taxpayer.”

Cameron Wright, Manager of Waste Diversion, Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (June 2011)

"First developed and introduced in 2004, Electronics Product Stewardship Canada's (EPSC) Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS) has been the basis for electronics recyclers in Canada seeking to demonstrate responsible, safe and environmentally sound recycling practices.  Since that time, the ERS has been adopted by each of the industry-led provincial end-of-life electronics (EOLE) recycling programs (SWEEP, ESABC, ACES and OES), as the foundation for recycler assessments and approvals, and it has been revised on several occasions to ensure that it continues to meet the operational needs of the programs while staying current to address the processing developments of the recycling industry and the associated risks.

Most recently, the ERS went under an extensive, year long, review and revision process including public consultations, to refine the auditable criteria to better reflect the programs requirements for approved recyclers, but also to incorporate the ERS into a broader Recycler Qualification Program (RQP) which was designed to facilitate a more efficient and effective audit and approval process. In addition to updating the ERS, in April 2011, the Recycler Qualification Office (RQO) was established in cooperation with the industry-led provincial programs and EPSC to manage all recycler assessments and approvals on behalf of the programs.  This national office is intended to provide a streamlined application and approval process for perspective primary recyclers, while undertaking recycler assessments in a timely manner, with detailed, thorough, and objective results.

Sean DeVries, Environmental Recycling Standard (July 2011)

“Ontario is joining a growing international trend toward smarter and safer waste management practices,” said Peter Hume, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “Rightly, people and businesses are being held more accountable for the waste that they create. Evolution takes time and requires patience, however, producers of waste should be paying for disposal costs, not property taxpayers.”

Peter Hume, Past President of Association of Municipalities of Ontario (June 2011)

“OES and Halton Region started working together in 2009. From 2007 to 2010, our electronics diversion program increased by 200%. OES has made collecting, transporting and processing easier for us."

Gerrit J. Buitenhuis, Manager of Waste Operations, Halton Region (June 2011)

"The stewardship program offer great diversion opportunities to muncipalities that they otherwise, could not provide on their own.  For example, Durham has expanded its WEEE collection operations at its three Waste Management Facilities.  Recently, it also launched a curbside collection of WEEE in the Municipality of Clarington and the Townships of Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock which will be expanded across the Region over the next year.  We are also in the planning stages to launch a WEEE collection service to Durham's multi-residental sector later this fall.  These program extensions represent significant new diversion opportunities to Durham and its residents.  Durham could not provide the WEEE diversion program it now has without the financial and programming support of the WEEE stewardship program operated through OES."

Peter Veiga, Durham Works Department, Durham Region (July 2011)

"Ontario Electronic Stewardship's Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling program has worked very well for our municipality because: 1) The service is excellent, 2) We know the WEEE is being managed in an environmentally and socially sound way, which we can promote to our residents, and 3) After the program was implemented, the City no long needed to charge a fee for dropping off WEEE materials for recycling at our depot.  When this fee was removed, there was about a 40% increase, on average, in the amount of WEEE materials collected and diverted from our landfill."

Greg Preston, B.Sc.(Env.), M.Sc, Superintendent of Waste Management, City of Orillia (June 2011)

“The City of Peterborough has enjoyed an excellent relationship with OES since their electronics recycling program began in 2009.  With this program came increased opportunity for residents to recycle virtually all of their electronic items, including televisions, which was an item not previously taken for recycling.  Thanks to OES's program, we are able to offer this excellent diversion program at zero cost to the taxpayer.  We now send over 325 tonnes of this growing waste stream to be recycled each year, saving precious landfill space in the bargain.  Service is excellent, and we know the materials are going to licenced, domestic recyclers.  OES's electronics recycling program is a true success story, and one of the simplest for the City to administer.”

Virginia Swinson, Waste Reduction Programs Coordinator, City of Peterborough (June 2011)

“Cardinal Couriers has shipping resources across the entire province and once we realized the kind of volumes that we could help OES move, we knew it was a good business decision to sign on,” said Ian McLean, President of Cardinal Couriers. “We are now picking up from collection locations all over Ontario, so the program has created additional positions within our company. I personally feel proud to be part of something that stimulates job creation in Ontario.”

Cardinal Couriers, Adrian Pavone, MBA, President (June 2011)

"Without the OES Waste Eelectronics program, our rural municipality would not have the resources to offer an e-waste recycling program.  It has been a huge success, and the volume of material that we collect continues to amaze us.  Since we joined the program in August 2009, we have diverted over 45 tonnes of e-waste from our landfills ... that's over 6.5 tractor trailer loads of material!"

Gayle Short, Waste Reduction Coordinator, Township of Algonquin Highlands (June 2011)

“Canada’s industry-led, regulated electronics stewardship agencies are seen as global leaders when it comes to providing efficient and responsible recycling solutions for a wide array of end-of-life electronics.  These not-for-profit entities are excellent examples of extended producer responsibility, and collectively have ensured that close to 200,000 metric tonnes of unwanted electronics are diverted from landfill, illegal export and recycled in a safe and responsible manner.  Our programs work closely with the OES program in Ontario and the ARMA program in Alberta to harmonize our solutions to the growing challenge of e-waste.”

Jay Illingworth, Director of Harmonization, ACES: Nova Scotia and PEI / ESABC: B.C. / SWEEP: Saskatchewan (June 2011)

"Modern Landfill inc. has been a proud member of the OES, Ontario Electronic Stewardship program since its inception and fully support its focus on diverting potentially hazardous materials from our landfills. The OES has given our customers and residents an environmentally friendly alternative in disposing of their unwanted electronics while creating jobs for our drivers and labourers.”

Karen Craig, Sales Manager, Modern Landfill (June 2011)

"Ontario Electronics Stewardship (OES) is funded by the electronics industry, both brand name manufacturers and retailers who remit the Environment fees on each product to OES.  The "user pay" system is transparent and equitable because the consumer and the product manufacturer pay the cost of diversion to landfill, not the taxpayer. Fees paid to OES are used exclusively to pay for collection, transportation, consolidatino and processing of waste electronics, as well as research and consumer education programs to encourage safe and responsbile end of life programs. The province wide e-waste recycling program is building momentun and continuously improving.  OES works with many partners to increase opportunities for Ontarians to recycle old, unwanted electronics and ensure they do not end up in landfill and will instead be reused, recycled or diposed of in an environmentally responsible way. EPSC is proud of the work being done by OES in Ontario to educate the public on the need to recycle electronics, provide a collection, transport and processing infrastructure, and report back on success, with full transparency.  OES has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time since its launch in April 2009."            

Shelagh Kerr, President & CEO, Electronics Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC) (June 2011)

“As president of Goodwill Industries - Essex Kent  Lambton my job is to protect and direct the organization. Until the advent of OES, I could not be certain that electronic waste products collected by Goodwill were being properly managed and recycled within Canada. Without the oversight of OES, Goodwill Ind. EKL would not be in the e-waste business...Period! OES has provided the training, the guidance, and invaluable support that is driving us to become a centre of excellence and collection centre of choice for industrial and institutional, as well as residential e-waste in our community.”

Dave Watson, Board President, Goodwill Industries Essex Kent Lambton, Inc. (June 2011)