Minnesota electronics recycling bill stalls in Senate

A Minnesota electronics recycling bill, HF3566, reportedly has stalled in the Senate, according to Fox 9.

The bill would add a 3.2 percent fee upon purchase of new electronics to cover the cost of recycling for consumers down the line. Cellphones would have a flat 90-cent fee. Supporters of the bill have dubbed this a “pay now, save later” approach.

The state’s current electronics recycling legislation was introduced in 2007 and mainly covers computers and televisions, requiring consumers to pay upon collection. Under the new bill, the list of covered devices would grow to include all end-of-life electronics.

According to the bill’s fact sheet, it seeks to expand the definition of electronic scrap to ensure 100 percent collection, remove the recycling fee for Minnesotans and incentivize waste diversion by reimbursing collection sites for the electronics recycled.

Minnesota Rep. Athena Hollins authored and introduced the bill this year and says approximately 20 percent of discarded electronics are recycled.

“Everything else is either incinerated, landfilled or sits in our closets and basements,” she says.

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Minnesota’s annual electronics material stream contains $3 billion worth of precious metals, and the bill says recovering these materials is critical for Minnesota to support the energy transition.

The bill also intends to decrease landfill and hauling truck fires by diverting discarded electronics, which contain hazardous materials like lithium-ion batteries.

“By passing this bill, we can save our state money by extending the life of our landfills, preventing structure fires created by lithium-ion batteries in our waste stream and preventing lead and heavy metal pollution from dumped e-waste,” Hollins says.

Recycling Today has reached out for comment.