Last updated April 12, 2019
A Canadian Member of Parliament has introduced a private member’s bill in order to demand universal charges for all new cell phones that are sold in Canada. Glenn Thibeault, the representative for the Ontario riding of Sudbury, says that the legislation would assist in the reduction of the amount of electronic waste that heads into the nation’s landfills at a disturbing rate, as well as help to ease the financial burden on consumers when buying new devices.
“We know that when a person buys a new cell phone, they overwhelmingly dispose of their current charger, even if it’s in perfect condition,” Thibeault says. “People often have multiple chargers for home, work and in the car, so the cost of changing chargers quickly adds up.” The regulations are similar, as Thibeault points out, to ones which have actually been in force in the European Union for the last two years since 2009, with a number of major cell phone manufacturing companies such as the likes of Research in Motion, Nokia, Motorola and Apple having already signed on to comply with the legislation.
“The EU experience has shown that manufacturers are willing to take the steps necessary to develop cellular charger standards,” he believes. “This simple and cost effective change will have positive consequences for the environment, reduce e-waste and help save consumers money.”