In one of the largest single donations to Vancouver’s Electronic Recycling Association (ERA), Fraser Valley REALTORS® have donated over 1,000 electronic items for recycling or refurbishing, keeping them out of Lower Mainland landfills.

The first-ever electronics recycling event for members of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) was held January 28 - 31. REALTORS® dropped off, among other items, 111 computers, 138 monitors, 182 printers/faxes/ scanners, 146 pieces of stereo equipment/VCRs/DVDs and cameras, 92 keyboards, over 75 phones and even one microfiche reader.

“In planning the event, we thought we’d be a perfect fit for helping the environment. REALTORS® are community-minded, plus we’re a major consumer of technology because it’s how we service our clients,” said Ray Werger, chair of the Board’s technology committee and a REALTOR® with Royal LePage – Coronation Park Realty.

However, Werger said they couldn’t possibly have anticipated the response. ERA initially sent a one-tonne truck to pick up the donations, but had to also dispatch a three-tonne truck.

“We were running out of space for the items,” Werger said. “Some of the donations like laptops, scanners and cell phones were surprisingly new, so they will be greatly appreciated by whoever receives them next.”

“We accept donations of all sizes, but larger corporate donations can make a significant difference,” said Joanna Trebon, ERA’s operations manager. “This donation will keep literally tonnes of waste from hurting our environment.

“We look forward to more community round-ups in hopes of collecting more computers and laptops to fulfill hundreds of charity requests. We thank the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board for their hard work in arranging this successful event."

ERA is a non-profit organization that collects old computers and electronics and recycles or refurbishes them for local schools, charities, not-for-profit groups, libraries, elderly homes and other community organizations. In a 2003 report, Environment Canada revealed that computers, phones, AV equipment and small household appliances account for more than 140,000 tonnes (or 4.5 kg per capita) of waste in Canadian landfills each year.