New York cities unhappy with state e-scrap law

A New York state legislature hearing in Albany in late February featured comments from several municipal officials who said the state’s e-scrap legislation has set up a system that is costly for their taxpayers.

According to an AP article that appeared on the Washington Times website, several municipal officials complained that while the intention of the law was for e-scrap recycling to be funded by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), instead “much of the cost and burden is falling on municipalities.”

A town supervisor and the executive director of an association representing Empire State counties were among those who said televisions and computer monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were a main culprit because recyclers within the state will no longer accept those items without charging a fee.

Those testifying also decried the preset volume goals assigned to manufacturers, saying that once those goals are met, the OEMs scale back their collection activities and other support services, according to the AP report.

Stephen Acquario, the executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, testified that Westchester County may have to pay as much as $1.2 million for e-scrap recycling services in 2016. Smaller counties expect price tags in the $30,000 to $90,000 range, according to Acquario.

In the testimony before the New York State Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee, the Association of Counties director urged the creation of regulations “to require manufacturers to provide year-round support for collection sites regardless of whether their performance target has been met,” according to AP.