Residual Materials

Over the years, we have implemented various cost-effective resource and waste minimization initiatives that clearly demonstrate that social, environmental and economic goals do not have to be mutually exclusive. Every year, we make important efforts to reduce waste to landfill, save costs and reduce our consumption of valuable resources.

Our programs are designed to prevent, control or reduce the release of hazardous materials into the environment. Through a strict adherence to reuse and recycle principles, residual materials are returned to inventory or the manufacturer, reused within our operations, recycled or safely eliminated.

Over the years, several processes have been implemented to collect products generated by our telecommunications network, administrative sites and vehicle fleet.

In 2005, 8,813 metric tons of residual materials were diverted from landfill through the following recycling programs:

NETWORK OPERATIONS ACTIVITIES

Materials from the construction, maintenance and dismantling of our network are collected from our work centres and central offices to be reused, sold or recycled. Residual materials, such as copper cables, steel hardware and lead sleeves are sent to recyclers for secondary markets. Equipment in good operating condition is sold for reuse, and any hazardous materials are handled according to environmental legislation.

Material Collection Centres have been established in 54 of our main work centres (i.e. 92% of all work centres).

Containers used for hazardous and non-hazardous materials as well as telephone poles and waste destined for landfill are located in a central area in each of the work centres. This process facilitates recycling, thereby helping us to divert a significant quantity of material from landfill.

We help protect the environment and contribute to a good social cause through our continued support of the Centre de formation en entreprise et récupération (CFER), a training school that provides useful manual skills to young people who do not have a high school education. CFER collects and sorts recyclable materials generated at fourteen of our work centres in Québec. The diversity of work the students perform for the Bell contract, such as shipping, receiving, sorting, baling, weighing and cable-cutting, provides excellent training for mainstream employment. The program also favours local recycling of many materials such as cardboard, steel or aluminum, while helping us to reduce the costs of shipping the materials elsewhere for recycling.

• In 2005, 5,370 metric tons of materials were collected from our network operations activities.
• The following products were reused within our operations or sold for reuse:

Administrative Operations

Our Zero Waste^TM program is aimed at diverting non-hazardous residual materials used in our administrative activities, such as paper, cardboard, glass, steel and aluminum from landfill. In previous years, we have implemented recycling programs for various materials in most of our administrative offices and network maintenance centres.

• In 2005, we recycled a total of 1,073 metric tons of materials: 68.4% paper, 31.2% cardboard, 0.4% bottles and cans.
• We also maintained our collection program for various laser printer toner cartridges, the savings from which continue to be substantial. Using refurbished cartridges reduces costs by 30% to 50%. Due to a change in the collection process for the cartridges far fewer cartridges were collected in 2005 than in 2004. We have since corrected the problem and expect higher participation in the program in 2006.

Hazardous Residual Materials

Many residual materials are defined by law as hazardous because they can threaten human health and the environment. We collect hazardous materials generated by our operations and manage them in a responsible manner. Due to the nature and small quantities of residual materials Bell generates every year we are below the reporting threshold of the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) program.

The centralized collection of hazardous residual materials began in 1995 and now includes sites from across the company (e.g. maintenance centres, central offices and administrative sites). A total of 1,313 metric tons of hazardous residual materials were recovered from all sites in 2005.

The total amount of hazardous materials collected in 2005 represents a decrease of 27.1% over 2004. More hazardous materials were collected in 2004 over other years due to the replacement of a large number of expired central office batteries in that year.

PCBs

• From 1996 to 2002, Bell Canada's wireline business removed all telecommunications equipment containing PCBs from its operations and sent them to specialized firms for recycling and destruction. The wireless business is composed of newer equipment and therefore does not contain PCBs.
• In 2005, as part of Telesat and Northwestel's integration into Bell's management system, we conducted complete inventories of PCB-containing equipment within their operations. The few ballasts and capacitors that remain are managed in accordance with applicable regulations and will be destroyed in priority.
• A small percentage of the in-service ballasts used in lighting systems contain very low levels of PCBs. We send these ballasts to our PCB storage facilities from where they are forwarded to a specialized firm for destruction.

Automotive Fleet Maintenance

A number of products from Bell vehicles are now included in our collection process. The following table provides examples of the materials and quantities that were sent to recyclers in the last three years. The data includes products generated from the maintenance of our vehicles in Ontario and Québec. Figures have been converted into metric tons:

• All mechanics and automotive fleet managers have been trained in how to use our Automotive Fleet Environmental Guide which outlines procedures such as the management of petroleum products and equipment, hazardous materials, spills or other environmental incidents.
• A new biotechnology, water-based solution now replaces solvents in the cleaning of automotive parts and is used in all maintenance centres.
• Waste anti-freeze is directly recycled at some of our locations to reduce the amount sent to outside recyclers. The process is both cost-effective and environmentally sound.

Poles

We continued to train employees and suppliers on pole recovery and on the return of poles for recycling or safe disposal. A total of 1,166 metric tons (4,664 poles) were recovered from our operations in 2005.

We have reached an agreement with our pole supplier to minimize the amount of wood that goes to landfill.

Under a new process that is pending government approval in 2006, poles will first be reused whenever possible, recycled into lumber if feasible, and, lastly, shredded into fine particles as an alternate source of energy for cement kilns. We have prohibited the sale or donation of our used poles since 1995.

See the Network Installations section for more on our initiatives related to the installation and storage of treated wood poles.