Volunteers collect e-waste at mall parking lot

People need to make sure that their televisions, monitors and other electronics don’t end up at a landfill, says a spokeswoman for the Recycle Your Electronics tour.

More than 300 people drove into the Intercity Shopping Centre parking lot to drop of unwanted electronics Saturday. Volunteers unloaded plenty of televisions, monitors, turn tables, VCRs, cameras and many other electronics. The recycling event was in part of the Ontario Electronic Stewardship program to reduce electronic waste in landfills.

Katie Ingram, northern tour staff with Recycle Your Electronics tour, travelled from Toronto all across the province to round up as many electronics as possible and prevent people from disposing them at a dump. She said all the materials will be sorted and then shipped to a plant in Sault Ste Marie or in Barrie, Ont.

"We want to keep everything out of the landfill that doesn’t need to be there," Ingram said. "One of the things that we talk about is how our electronics are one a journey so we can’t let them end up in a landfill. Through this program, everything is melted down and shredded."

She added they couldn’t take items such as microwaves, coffee machines and other kitchen appliances.

The event is scheduled to wrap up around 5 p.m.