Port Moody police will be holding a special data destruction and electronics recycling event on March 12 at city hall.
The event, that runs from 3 to 7 p.m., will have certified technicians from the Electronic Recycling Association on hand to securely destroy data storage devices like hard drives and tapes so personal information they may contain doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Components like desktop and laptop computers, printers, keyboards and mice, as well as phone systems and servers, can also be dropped off for recycling or refurbishment.
According to a 2023 study by researchers at the University of Waterloo, the average Canadian produces about 25.3 kg of electronic waste in a year. That’s triple the amount produced in 2000.
Most of those items are household lighting, followed by toys, sports equipment and then information technology like cellphones and laptop computers.
Statistics Canada said in 2021, 15 per cent of households in the country had unwanted computers they wanted to get rid of and four per cent just put them in the garbage.
A study at the University of British Columbia said part of the problem is the ever-shortening lifespan of technology.
“Multiple technology advances are occurring every year, introducing newer versions of telephones, computers, televisions, cameras, video games, keyboards, etc., that people feel inclined to purchase,” said the study, adding a keyboard that used to last 4.5 years after it was purchased in 1992 now has a lifespan of about two years.
That accelerating turnover produces more waste, as old items are discarded.
Proper disposal or refurbishment helps save the environment from toxic materials that can be released in landfills, said the study.
The Port Moody destruction and recycling event coincides with fraud prevention month.
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