California Legislators Consider Tax on CRT, TVs

California legislators are expected to vote on two measures that address the issue of disposal and recycling of computers and television sites. The two bills aim to add a fee of $10 to computers and television sets to pay for the recycling of the equipment. The bill, introduced by State Senator Byron Sher, passed the assembly Aug. 22, and is expected to come under a full vote this week. The bill, SB1523, passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and was recently amended so that the language from the May 28 version of the bill is reinstated.  This language establishes a front-end financing system for recycling cathode ray tube (CRT) devices.

A second bill, SB1619, has been introduced by Gloria Romero, also passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee late last week, and is expected to be heard on the California Assembly Floor. SB 1619 establishes recycling and recovery goals for CRTs, as well as labeling provisions.

Over the past year there has been a significant amount of efforts put toward coming up with a program to handle, process and recycling many of these electronics equipment.

A host of manufacturers have put together programs to take back their equipment, or developed working relationships with processors to handle the material.

Manufacturing groups and many Silicon Valley computer companies oppose the measures. Some allow consumers to return old equipment to them for recycling, and lobbyists say the issue is a national one that should be handled by Congress.

Sher's bill, SB1523, would add the fee to computers and televisions sold in California. The money would go toward a statewide recycling program. Romero's measure, SB1619, would set a goal to have 95 percent of old TVs and monitors diverted from state landfills by 2006.