The following statement was issued today by Tom Hedderson, Minister of Education. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I�m happy to announce today that my department is helping schools to take out their e-waste! Electronic waste is not something many of us think about. In fact, some may question, what is electronic waste? Is it a deleted file, a new computer game, or an unusable hard drive?

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is old computers, monitors and other related equipment that have reached the end of their useful life cycle. Each year thousands of pounds of electronic waste ends up in landfills throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. While many computers and computer parts can be recycled or refurbished, many simply end up in our provincial dumps.

Today, we are pleased to announce that we have contributed $60,000 to Computers for Schools (CFS) for a pilot project that would see obsolete technology professionally processed by Noranda, a world leader in electronic hardware recycling.

I am sure all honourable members are aware of the great work done by Computers for Schools in this province, and throughout the country. Since 1993, this program has delivered approximately 12,000 computers to schools and libraries in Newfoundland and Labrador. The volunteers of CFS collect, repair and deliver surplus computers donated by government, private corporations and individuals.

Now, Computers for Schools want to expand their mandate by assisting in the removal of old computers from our schools and libraries. The benefits of this are twofold, the problem of improper or insecure storage of these technologies is addressed, making our schools and libraries safer; and up to 120,000 pounds of e-waste will be diverted from our landfills.

We are delighted to partner with Computers for School in this innovative pilot project, and I commend the organization for once again setting a new standard in computer recycling in our province. Today I encourage - and indeed I challenge - other organizations to support Computers for Schools in their efforts in this area, and help keep our schools and libraries safe for our students.

2005 04 13                  2:15 p.m.