In celebration of Earth Week, the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) proudly partnered with the Canadian Museum of Nature to host a week-long internal electronics recycling initiative for staff at the museum’s VMMB facility in Ottawa.
The initiative resulted in the collection of over 350 lbs of electronics and highlighted the shared commitment between ERA and the Canadian Museum of Nature toward sustainability, responsible electronics recycling, and environmental leadership
Building Partnerships Through Sustainability
The partnership between ERA and the Canadian Museum of Nature demonstrated how organizations can work together to create practical and socially responsible sustainability initiatives.
CMN already maintains strong internal IT and environmental practices, including secure device tracking, responsible electronics handling, and structured data security procedures. Through this collaboration, ERA was able to complement those existing efforts by providing an accessible and secure electronics recycling solution for staff participation during Earth Week.
More importantly, the initiative opened the door to future collaboration opportunities focused on sustainability, environmental education, and responsible technology reuse.
Supporting Reuse & Digital Inclusion
Many of the collected electronics will now go through ERA’s certified refurbishment and secure data wiping process. Devices suitable for reuse will be professionally refurbished and donated to charities, schools, newcomer support programs, community organizations, and individuals in need of technology access.
This is one of the most important parts of ERA’s mission: extending the life of electronics and helping bridge the digital divide through technology donations.
Every electronics collection initiative helps create opportunities for individuals and organizations that may otherwise lack access to essential technology for education, communication, employment, and community support services.
Secure Electronics Recycling & Data Protection
All electronics collected through ERA programs are processed according to secure and environmentally responsible standards.
ERA provides:
- Secure data wiping and destruction processes
- Certified electronics recycling
- Refurbishment and reuse-first processing
- Recycling and data destruction certificates
- Responsible downstream recycling for non-reusable materials
By prioritizing reuse before recycling, ERA helps reduce electronic waste while maximizing the social value of donated technology.
Education, Awareness & Community Engagement
The collaboration also focused on increasing awareness around e-waste, sustainability, and responsible electronics disposal.
Through internal communications and educational outreach, staff were encouraged to participate and learn more about:
- How electronics are responsibly recycled
- The importance of secure data destruction
- Valuable materials found in electronics
- How refurbished technology can support communities in need
This helped transform the initiative from a simple collection event into a broader sustainability and educational partnership.
Looking Toward Future Collaboration
ERA is incredibly grateful to the Canadian Museum of Nature team for their collaboration, trust, and support throughout this initiative.
Partnerships like this demonstrate how organizations can work together to create meaningful environmental and community impact through responsible recycling, sustainability initiatives, and technology reuse programs.
ERA looks forward to future opportunities to collaborate with CMN and other organizations across Canada to support responsible electronics recycling, sustainability initiatives, and technology donation programs
Organize an Electronics Recycling Event with ERA
Interested in hosting a secure electronics recycling event or sustainability initiative with ERA?
The Electronic Recycling Association supports:
- Community electronics recycling events
- Corporate and workplace collections
- School and educational initiatives
- Secure IT asset disposition (ITAD)
- Data destruction services
- Technology donation and reuse programs
Learn more at: www.era.ca