Lysol no-touch - enviro fee?

[dahliagrower]

I just bought a new Lysol No-touch at Walmart ... and they tagged on a $1 enviro fee for it. I bought one of these about 6-8 months ago and don't remember a fee being charged. Anyone else had this happen? I'm kind of confused by it - I mean do they charge an enviro fee when you buy shaving cream cannisters?

[DeeThomas]

The BC Recycling Council added small, personal electronic items to the list of items retailers charge the Environmental Handling Fee on sometime within the past year. Their website explains why they charge the fee:

http://rcbc.bc.ca/education/faqs/electronic6

And London Drugs has signs up at the check-out explaining which items have the fees added and the amount charged for the different categories.

[dahliagrower]

Thanks for the info .... does this mean it's an item that goes in the blue box then? Or has to be taken in with other electronics ..... I really would prefer that they would put any fees/extra costs on the sticker price so you are aware of it before purchase.

[sarah_cio]

I never had to pay one for mine?

[DeeThomas]

You can't put them in the blue box - that's just for cardboard, tins, bottles etc:
http://www.crd.bc.ca/waste/bluebox/preparation.htm

I had to call the BC Recycling Council to find out, but there is a website about the EHF:

http://www.unpluggedrecycling.ca/

You should be able to take EHF-fee-charged-items back to the store you bought them from. If they ask for proof of purchase and you don't have it (and who really keeps receipts for small things like this?!) then there are 'Unplugged recycling drop-off' locations around town - looks like there are six in Victoria.

BTW - I'm not sure that Return-It centres would take these things back - Encore aren't running this program, so they don't get the fee to recycle the items.

I know it can be a bit of a pain to take things like this for recycling - we've been waiting to take a busted monitor and keyboard to the Return-It centre for months - but it's so much better than them ending up in landfill.

We have a small box that we throw 'electrical' items like batteries, lightbulbs, the monitor and keyboard!, etc into - and when it's full we make the trip.

[DeeThomas]

I never had to pay one for mine?

Looks like these small appliances were added Oct 2011 - so if you bought before then you wouldn't have paid the fee.

[Jeff D]

All just another tax grab.

[DeeThomas]

I guess if you don't return the item to be recycled then it would feel like a 'tax grab'.

But if you take it back, and it gets recycled - which is what you're paying the money for - then you can feel all warm and fuzzy knowing you're doing the right thing for the planet!