Most radios are comprised of a plastic or metal casing, which houses a printed circuit board, metals such as copper, lead and aluminium, as well as materials such as solder, epoxy and porcelain. Radios come in a large variety of shapes and sizes and can be built small enough to fit in a cell phone or large enough to form part of a stereo system. Analogue radios are slowly being replaced by digital radios, which use larger amounts of energy to operate and contain greater amounts of environmentally hazardous metals. Digital radios form part of what is known as e-waste. 20-50 million tonnes of e-waste is disposed of annually worldwide, putting heavy metals and chemicals such as lead, mercury and arsenic into landfills, which can contaminate soil and groundwater.
Reduce | Reuse | Recycle | Facilities
How do I go green?
Reduce
Consider having one well made radio that you move from room to room as you require it. If you have a computer with speakers you can also listen to the radio from your computer.
Reuse
Donate your old, working radios to a charity. Offer it for free through Craigslist or UsedVictoria.
Recycle
Radios are now part of the Product Stewardship program for electronic waste. They can be taken to a number of drop-off locations throughout the CRD for free for recycling - you've already paid for this service with an environmental handling fee (EHF) when you bought it.
Facilities
Asset Investment Recovery - Victoria
4234 Glanford Avenue
Victoria
250-952-5097
Bottle Depot, The - Glanford
4261 Glanford Avenue
Saanich
250-727-7480
Bottle Depot, Victoria, Queens
655 Queens Avenue
Victoria
250-727-7480
Hartland Recycling Facility
# 1 Hartland Avenue
Victoria
250-360-3030
London Drugs
All Locations
ReStore - Habitat for Humanity Victoria
849 Orono Avenue
Victoria
250-386-7867
Salt Spring Island Recycling Depot
349 Rainbow Road
Salt Spring Island
250-537-1200
Salvation Army - Brentwood
7177 West Saanich Rd
Brentwood Bay
250-652-4622
Salvation Army - Cedar Hill
1551 Cedar Hill Rd
Victoria BC
250-382-3714
Salvation Army - Hillside
990 Hillside Ave
Victoria
250-380-7717
Salvation Army - Sooke
3 - 6686 Sooke Rd
Victoria BC
250-642-3612
Salvation Army - Vanalman
765 Vanalman Avenue
Victoria
250-727-2293
Salvation Army - Victoria
525 Johnson Street
Victoria
250-384-3755
Salvation Army - View Royal
307 Island Highway
Victoria
250-708-0520
Sidney Bottle Depot
#5-10025 Galaran Road
Sidney
250-655-4878
West Shore Bottle Depot
935 Ellery Street
Victoria
250-381-1482
The Environmental Story
Phones, answering machines and other electronic waste can contain dangerous heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, brominated flame retardants (BFR) and PVC. You might have noticed the smell of offgassing from new phones. That’s a large hazard for such a small package.
Questions? Call the CRD Hotline.
We can answer your questions on the Hartland landfill, composting, household hazardous waste, recycling and more!
t: 250.360.3030
toll-free: 1.800.663.4425 #3030
Don't abandon your better judgement.
A little junk in the trunk is a good thing. Want to learn about our campaign and what you can do to help?
Go blue. It's the right thing to do.
Use CRD Blue Boxes & Bags at the curb.