Manitobans could soon be paying a new fee when they purchase electronics. The money would go towards costs for recycling the same electronic products later on.
Lanny McInnes of the Retail Council of Canada said a variety of e-waste fees are being considered.
"The range of fees will obviously be different on particular items (from) a cellphone that has a 10 cent fee attached to it, to larger items like big screen TVs that will have a larger fee, like 20 dollars or so," said McInnes. Those numbers are just estimates, based on similar e-waste programs in other provinces.
At an open house on Thursday, the electronic industry and retailers sought out feedback from the public regarding the fees.
"Our members want the flexibility to be able to show those fees at the point of sale, so that customers know when they're buying an electronic product that there is a fee that deals with (a product's) end- of-life recycling," said McInnes.
Some environmental advocates agree there should be a fee to recycle electronics but don't like the idea it might not be incorporated into the overall upfront cost when you buy the item, with the e-waste fee not showing up until check-out.
"People don't know what they'll have to pay for something they're picking up off the shelf. Consumers don't like that. They react and then that reduces the legitimacy of the program," said Josh Brandon with Resource Conservation Manitoba.
The organization said there's another reason for companies to include the fee in the upfront price.
"It gives an incentive for the companies to find more environmentally sustainable ways to reduce their costs," said Brandon.
A proposed plan by industry officials would still have to be approved by the province.
Both the province and industry are working towards a start-date of April 1, 2011 for e-waste fees.
The open house discussing the fees was slated to continue until 9 p.m. on August 5. Members of the public can also send their opinions to feedback@intergroup.ca
Currently, Manitobans can recycle electronics for free. A list of depots can be found on the website: www.greenmanitoba.ca
- with a report from CTV's Eleanor Coopsammy
