E-Scrap Group Concerned Over State of Washington Law

A group of electronics recycling companies is expressing concern that a bill signed into law in Washington by Governor Christine Gregoire may damage the electronics industry in the state. Governor Gregoire signed SB 6428 the electronic waste legislation into law last week. Under the law consumers in the state can have their obsolete e-scrap collected for recycling at no cost.

In signing the bill, Governor Gregoire said, “This bill puts our market-based economy to work for the environment. It’s a responsible step in the best interests of the public, because no matter who owns the equipment at the end of its life, it will be recycled – free of charge.”

“This bill puts our market-based economy to work for the environment, she added.”

However, representatives from the Electronics Manufacturers Coalition for Responsible Recycling are sharing its concerns with members of the Consumer Electronics Association and the Electronics Industry Association.

"While we appreciate the Governor's direction that the state Department of Ecology work to address additional problems with the bill, we remain very concerned about the serious negative impacts of this legislation on our industry," said David Thompson, director, Corporate Environmental Department for Panasonic Corporation of North America.

"Our coalition strongly supports recycling of electronic products," Thompson continued. "Unfortunately, the Washington law will result in a costly and ineffective recycling system for state residents while increasing costs for environmentally responsible manufacturers doing business here. Until we finally had an opportunity to meet with the Governor, our efforts to share these concerns were rebuffed along the way."

Manufacturers argue that the Washington legislation will not provide all of the environmental benefits claimed by supporters," Thompson noted.

Manufacturers also charge that, absent changes to the new law in the 2007 legislative session, they will be forced to pick up the tab for less reputable competitors that cease operations or simply refuse to comply with the new state rules.

The electronics manufacturers noted that the new regulations conflict with the strong recommendations of the National Electronic Products Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI), a national, multi-year public-private study effort that included manufacturers, environmentalists and regulators including some from Washington.

The bill also ignores the benefits of different recycling systems already effectively operating in other jurisdictions ranging from California to Canada. Instead, manufacturers and the state will spend the next two and a half years creating a complicated new system with multiple collection and recycling processes established by individual manufacturers. "It's going to be confusing to consumers and will impair recycling rates," said Sharp's Marella.