Two California legislators have introduced separate bills that would impose fees on PCs, monitors and other electronic devices to cover the costs of recycling those goods when they become obsolete.
One bill, introduced by Democratic Sen. Byron Sher, would establish a state program to recycle CRT devices including computer monitors and television sets. The bill sets July 1, 2003, as the starting date by which every retailer that sells CRT devices in the state must begin collecting from consumers an as yet unspecified fee that would go toward funding the program.
The other bill, authored by Democratic Sen. Gloria Romero, aims to set up a program to recover, reuse and recycle what it defines as hazardous electronic scrap. Under this proposal, starting Jan. 1, 2004, manufacturers would be required to label a wide range of electronic devices as hazardous and set up a system for taking back obsolete devices, or pay a fee to the state.
The Romero legislation encompasses virtually every high-tech product a consumer might buy, including computer and video monitors, desktop and notebook PCs, and handheld gadgets. Those devices contain, to one degree or another, substances such as lead and mercury that the bill describes as a "persistent biolaccumulative toxin," meaning that they gather in the body and can pose health risks.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board estimates that state residents have stockpiled more than 6 million obsolete monitors and TV sets in their homes.