AlarmRecycle Urges British Columbians to Recycle Used Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms During Fire Prevention Week
October marks the first year anniversary of the non-profit recycling program in B.C.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Oct. 4, 2012) - AlarmRecycle, a provincial recycling program for used or expired smoke alarms, carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, and combination smoke and CO alarms, is urging British Columbians during Fire Prevention Week to recycle these products that would otherwise end up in the landfill. There are 130 accessible drop-off locations across the province where smoke and CO alarms can be dropped for recycling without charge.
AlarmRecycle, now into its second year, has seen 90 collection sites added since its inception and wanted to take the opportunity to remind the public of the program as Fire Prevention Week (October 7 to 13, 2012) quickly approaches.
"We are once again working with local fire departments to let British Columbians know that they can drop off their expired smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at an AlarmRecycle collection site," said Mark Kurschner, President of Product Care Association. "This program provides a safe and accessible way for the public to drop off their smoke and CO alarms at no cost."
Like most other recycling programs operating in B.C., AlarmRecycle is funded by recycling fees applied on the sale of new products. In this case, a $1.20 fee is applied to the sale of smoke alarms and a $0.60 fee is applied to CO alarms. The recycling fees fully cover program costs, such as collecting, transporting and recycling smoke and CO alarms previously destined for the landfill. These recycling fees are necessary to operate this comprehensive, convenient and responsible recycling program in the province.
"Since the launch of the program in 2011, we have seen quite a bit of growth as the number of drop-off locations participating have more than doubled across the province," said Kurschner. "However, there is always more that can be done. We want to leverage this opportunity when fire safety is top of mind to remind the public that this environmentally responsible recycling option is available."
For more information or to find the nearest collection depot, B.C. residents can visit www.alarmrecycle.ca or call 1-800-667-4321 toll-free.
About Product Care Association
Product Care is a not-for-profit industry association that manages product stewardship programs for household hazardous and special waste on behalf of its members across Canada.
Product Care programs help protect the environment by diverting leftover and end of life products from landfills, waterways, and sewers. Product Care provides consumers with a collection system network for the products it manages. The collected products are then reused or recycled where possible. Visit www.productcare.org for more details.