During UPEI Welcome Week from September 1-5, 2025, students will take part in a collaborative initiative titled "Becoming Sustainable Panthers."
Kaitlyn Smith and RUBONEKA Shema Alvin, co-coordinators of UPEI Welcome Week 2025.
UPEI will team up with Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC), Call2Recycle Canada, and Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) to collect used batteries and small electronic devices to promote sustainability, help the environment, and provide a valuable service to the neighbouring community.
On Monday, September 1, from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, students, wearing UPEI Welcome Week t-shirts, will visit homes in Sherwood and Brown's Court to collect used batteries, using bags and boxes from Call2Recycle Canada. They will also hand out extra bags and pamphlets promoting recycling to each household. Once the collection is complete, Call2Recycle will promote the results nationally.
"I am extremely excited to being hosting Becoming Sustainable Panthers as a part of Welcome Week events," said Kaitlyn Smith, co-coordinator of Welcome Week. "I am in the sustainable design engineering program at UPEI, so it feels right to be hosting an event to improve sustainability here on the Island. I am excited to help the community recycle their batteries, improve their knowledge about this process, and teach them why it is important."
On Thursday, September 4, representatives from IWMC, Call2Recycle Canada, and EPRA will be on the UPEI campus to promote their recycling initiatives.
Many electronic products can be recycled through this program, including
- office equipment such as computers, laptops, tablets, printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, and cables;
- communication devices such as telephones, cell phones, and pagers;
- entertainment equipment such as stereos, gaming devices, cameras, and GPS units;
- small household appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, scales, clocks, irons, fans, and hair dryers;
- fitness and activity equipment such as smart watches, e-bikes and e-scooters, and treadmills.
For the list of accepted items for drop-off, visit RecycleMyElectronics.ca.
"Students play a vital role as changemakers in their communities," said Joseph Chung, VP Account Management at Call2Recycle. "By recycling their used batteries through the Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! program, UPEI students are doing the right thing for the environment and helping build a circular economy where valuable materials are given a second life. Their leadership sets an example for others and demonstrates how small actions can add up to a big impact."
Welcome Week Co-Coordinator, RUBONEKA Shema Alvin said he is excited to host this event because batteries power so much of people's daily lives, but many do not know how to recycle them.
"This event is about making it easy for our community to do the right thing by collecting used batteries and showing people how simple it is to keep them out of the landfill," he said.
PEI is a leader in responsible electronics recycling. EPRA/Recycle My Electronics has been operating in PEI since 2010 and is the only government-approved electronics recycling program in the province. To date, PEI residents and businesses have recovered nearly 8,000 metric tonnes of electronic devices, successfully diverting them from landfill and illegal export.
"EPRA/Recycle My Electronics warmly welcomes students, faculty, and the UPEI community back to campus," said Maylia Parker, Executive Director, Atlantic, EPRA. "We are proud to provide safe, secure accessible drop-off locations here on the Island for diverting end-of-life electronics from the landfill, keeping valuable resources in the economy. This Welcome Week event is a fun and engaging way to share our program with the UPEI community and beyond, and answer any questions they may have. We're thrilled to be part of it!"
For more information
550 University Avenue
Charlottetown Prince Edward Island
Canada C1A 4P3
home.upei.ca/
