Ontario Signs in Electronics Recycling Fee

The Canadian province of Ontario Thursday signed in a regulation that imposes recycling fees on televisions and computers and by next year, all electronics.

Beginning April 1, manufacturers and importers will pay $10.07 for each new television sold, while computer fees range from $2 to $13, the Toronto Star reported.

Wednesday, provincial Environment Minister John Gerretsen said a non-governmental agency would use the fees to administer some 650 drop-off and recycling facilities throughout the province.

Government doesn’t see a penny of this; it’s not a tax, it’s not a government fee, Gerretsen said. It’s an industry fee that will pay for the collection of the material that’s out there and for the proper recycling.

By April, the ministry will have established fees for other electronics including modems, cameras, scanners, photocopiers and stereo components, the report said.

The provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan already have electronic recycling fees, all mostly higher than Ontario’s, the Star said.