Sue's Blog

Friday, December 13, 2013

Loopholes - Electronics Environmental Fee

Well then - I guess we now know why the Electronic Products Recycling Association needs a contingency fund.

If you go online to Future Shop of Best Buy as examples - you can buy a "refurbished" TV without being charged the fee.

Refurbished is described as by Best Buy:

What do refurbished, refreshed and recertified mean?

A refurbished, refreshed or recertified item found on bestbuy.ca is a product that has been returned, repaired and/or tested as necessary, and restocked for sale at a lower-than-retail price. Products that are returned to either Best Buy or the original manufacturer are sent to a facility where they are repaired (if needed) tested, repackaged, and sent back to our store or put online for sale at a lower-than-retail price. A refurbished item is something that (but is not limited to):
  • had a cosmetic defect such as a scratch, blemish, or dent
  • did not work to customer’s expectations
  • was of older or used stock that was restored and tested 
Below is an example of a check-in online for "refurbished" TV's


Your Order

Best Buy

Enter postal code to update local taxes and fees

Scheduled Delivery - $49.99
One of your larger items requires a scheduled delivery from our Home Delivery Service.Learn More
  • Product Total $989.85
  • Scheduled Delivery Charge: $49.99
  • Subtotal $1,039.84
  • Estimated NL HST $135.18
  • Total$1,175.02 
now below find a check-in online for a "new" TV

Your Order

Enter postal code to update local taxes and fees

Scheduled Delivery - $49.99
One of your larger items requires a scheduled delivery from our Home Delivery Service.Learn More
  • Product Total $689.98
  • Scheduled Delivery Charge: $49.99
  • Subtotal $739.97
  • Environmental Handling Fees:Details $42.50 (emphasis added)
  • Estimated NL HST $101.72
  • Total$884.19
So then I ask if I buy a new TV and return it for reasons above - do I get my fee back - the answer is yes.

That TV can then be sold as refurbished without the fee - and an environmental fee would never have been paid.

Clearly there are loopholes in the system and thereby those paying higher fees for new products are probably covering the cost of refurbished TV recycling as a fee would never have been paid on it.




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