Welcome to Unplugged, B.C.'s new Small Appliance Recycling Program. Learn More

Unplugged is a province-wide small appliance recycling program in B.C. It's the first of its kind in Canada, and the only government-approved small appliance recycling program in the province. Unplugged gives British Columbians a new recycling option for the more than two million appliances sent to landfills each year.

Unplugged drop-off locations will be open and ready to receive old and broken small appliances for recycling starting October 1st, 2011. With over 100 drop-off locations across the province, you’ll be able to recycle your small appliances as part of your regular routine. The program will be funded by a recycling fee applied to new products brought into B.C. by small appliance manufacturers and retailers, and may be included in a product’s price or displayed as a separate charge at check-out.

The Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association (CESA) manages Unplugged. CESA is a non-profit industry association comprised of manufacturers and retailers of small appliances.

CESA has developed and implemented Unplugged, the Small Appliance Recycling Program, for its members in British Columbia to meet a recycling mandate from the provincial Ministry of the Environment. CESA has partnered with B.C.-based Product Care Association to set up and operate Unplugged throughout the province.

Before Unplugged existed, most small electrical appliances in British Columbia ended up in landfills. In fact, over two million small appliances are land-filled each year.

Unplugged, the Small Appliance Recycling Program provides an environmentally responsible alternative for recycling these products and will help British Columbians reduce pollution, save energy, and protect our environment.

Recycling small appliances will help reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, ensuring potentially hazardous materials are kept of our environment. They can also help save energy, for example, it takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to make it from raw materials. Recycled steel uses 74% less energy, while recycled glass takes 30% less energy.

After you bring your small appliance to an Unplugged drop-off location, it will be transported to a recycler for processing and broken down into its different parts. The resulting materials are then recycled as much as possible. For example, metals will be smelted down and recycled into other metal products. Plastics and glass will be sorted and sold where possible, or reused in different manufacturing processes. We'll continue to work with recyclers to maximize the amount of materials that can be recycled.

Although most small appliances do not contain significant amounts of hazardous materials, some older appliances like irons and oil-filled heaters may still contain oil and mercury. Hazardous materials will be removed from these products and responsibly managed.

Unplugged is a non-profit program funded by a recycling fee applied to new products brought into B.C. by small appliance manufacturers and retailers.

This fee will be introduced October 1st to cover all program costs, including collection, transportation and recycling of small appliances. Manufacturers or retailers may choose to build the recycling fee into the product’s price, or display it as a separate charge at the time of sale.

The program is operated on a long-term cost-recovery basis and all fees collected stay within the program. You can find a full list of recycling fees by product category here

The recycling fee covers all program costs, including collection, transportation and recycling of small appliances.

All collected fees stay in Unplugged, and allow CESA to operate an effective recycling program giving British Columbians an environmentally responsible alternative for the more than two million old and broken appliances sent to landfills every year. Click here for more info.

Recycling fees were determined by CESA based on industry-best practices and other factors including:

• Total product weight per category
• Costs of program administration
• The cost of collecting and recycling a particular product
• Product sales and forecasts

The program is designed so the cost of managing one category is not subsidized by the fees paid by another category. Fees will be reviewed during the first two years of program operation and will be re-adjusted if necessary.

Unplugged is operated through a system of accessible drop-off collection sites across British Columbia. Having a curbside collection program for small appliances would significantly increase program costs.

Unlike Unplugged, Blue Box and other curbside recycling programs are paid for and managed by local governments and generally do not include small appliances. Many small appliances are also too large for Blue Boxes or too fragile to be handled by the curbside system.

No. The recycling fee is not a government tax. It is not collected or managed by the government, and the government does not track or report on it.

The recycling fee is not a deposit, so you won’t get a refund when you recycle a small appliance. However, there is no charge to drop-off your small appliance at any Unplugged drop-off location.

No. Unplugged is a non-profit program and every dollar collected is used to cover program costs, including collection, transportation and recycling. Recycling small appliances in an environmentally responsible way comes with a significant cost, which is only partially offset by the revenue from salvaged materials such as metals.

If you don’t see your question here, just email us directly through our Ask Unplugged button and we’ll make sure to get back to you. You can also call the Recycling Council of B.C.'s Recycling Hotline at 1-800-667-4321.

• You can recycle your small appliances at one of over 100 Unplugged drop-off locations across B.C..
• For areas not yet served by drop-off locations, there will be scheduled collection events operated in collaboration with other organizations.

• Enter your city or postal code into our depot locator map to find the closest location and the hours of operation.
• Call the Recycling Council of B.C.'s Hotline at 1-800-667-4321 for help finding a location.
• Drop-off locations are open at different times depending on the specific collection site.

• Unplugged recycles more than 120 small appliances ranging in size from countertop microwave ovens, irons and portable fans, to electric toothbrushes and vacuums. Click here for a full list of accepted products.
• Accepted appliances are divided into different categories. Click here for the full list of appliances by category.
• Make sure your appliances are powered by 12 Volt or 120 Volt power, or batteries and designed for residential use.
• All small appliances should be returned in a clean state, with no food, liquids or vacuum bags.

• Appliances that are large, not powered by electricity or batteries, or built-in to a household are not accepted.
• Fridges, freezers, stoves, dishwashers and built-in over-the-range style microwaves do not qualify.
• Products designed for industrial or commercial use are not included.

• Products with built-in batteries that can't be removed are accepted.
• If batteries are easily accessible, remove them from an appliance before dropping it off. Batteries can be returned to the Call2Recycle program.
• Parts and accessories for any small appliance included in the program can be recycled.
• To avoid injury from old or broken small appliances, handle glass components with care and try to store and transport appliances in original packaging to help prevent breakage.

• Programs such as ESABC, Call2Recycle and Recycle My Cell are available to recycle other types of electrical products.
• For information on other recycling options for products not accepted in Unplugged, call the Recycling Council of B.C.'s Hotline at 1-800-667-4321.

• If a small appliance is still functional and is in relatively good condition, consider trying to find it a second home before dropping it off for recycling. Possible avenues include family members, friends, neighbours, a garage sale, thrift stores, charities or classifieds sites such as Craigslist, Kijiji, Freecycle or the Recycling Council of B.C.'s reuse sites.
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  Not all small appliances sold for reuse are in proper working order. We encourage you to maintain your products at peak performance and safety by having them repaired at an authorized service centre. Try an internet, telephone directory or Yellow Pages search of your appliance brand to find the closest service centre location or a proper repair facility. Remember to check your warranty to make sure it is not invalidated by using an unauthorized repair facility.