Lighten Your Footprint - Recycle with GEO

Throughout the month of February members will be able to downsize the clutter in their homes and feel good about it by knowing that old electronics and batteries are not contributing to toxic waste in landfills. Drivers working for our grocery delivery service will be taking away unwanted items in bins as they drop off containers full of healthy organic foods. At the end of the month, GEO will drop-off used electronics to the Return-It Program.

According to Earth911.com, electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like mercury. When placed in a landfill, these materials can contaminate soil as well as drinking water. With a vision to develop, manage and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life product from consumers to ensure that they are properly recycled and not land-filled or incinerated the Return-It Program is a not-for-profit, product stewardship corporation.

Besides old batteries, Green Earth members will be able to dispose of desktop computers, laptop computers, printers, and monitors. Nasreen from Burnaby, who received deliveries for more than a year, was proud to be a recipient of this unique service, "We feel we share the same philosophy of trying to make a difference to help lighten our environmental footprint. The community-based focus, various tips and the pick-up of used batteries were much appreciated."

As a small business GEO supports local farmers and businesses with a portion of profits going to a variety of non-profit groups. But the greatest advantage to members may be the time savings: shopping with Green Earth Organics takes just a few minutes online, while studies have shown that the average family spends up to 4 hours grocery shopping per week.

To learn more about the important work the ENCORP's Return-It Program provides for our community visit www.encorp.ca