Effective January 1, 2025, all CESA (Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association) operations will be managed by the Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) in British Columbia. Please note that collection sites may experience changes in signage, collection processes, and other minor updates to improve your recycling experience.
ElectroRecycle is Canada’s first small appliance and power tool recycling program
In British Columbia, ElectroRecycle accepts more than 400 types of small appliances and power tools for recycling at select depots, recycling centers, thrift stores, municipal facilities, retailers and community events. With more than 220 free drop-off locations province-wide, there’s one near you. Use our recycling locator to find your nearest location.
As with most recycling programs, ElectroRecycle is funded by a small recycling fee applied to the sale of new electrical products such as small appliances, power tools, and exercise machines.
When you purchase any of the 400+ products we accept for recycling, you may see the fee added to your receipt or it may already be included in the price of the product.
It’s not a tax. It is collected by CESA’s members, then is remitted to CESA, not the government, to fund the recycling program. The recycling fee covers all program costs: collection, transportation, recycling and public education about the program.
It’s calculated by considering the expense to recycle a given item, weight, projected sales, and how much material is recyclable. That’s why different products have different fees. One item does not subsidize another.
It’s not a deposit. While there’s no cost to drop off that old vacuum to the depot, unlike returning bottles, you won’t get your fee returned. Neither CESA nor its members make a profit from these fees. In fact, as of October 1, 2018 fees on almost all of the 400+ products were reduced. Greater efficiencies in collection, transportation and processing are being reflected in lower fees for consumers.
