LCD Monitors to Come with Recycling Fee

Laptop computers and liquid crystal display monitors face a $6 to $10 "pre-recycling'' fee come July 1 under a new California law aimed at preventing hazardous electronics waste from entering landfills.

The fee is already levied on televisions, but state toxics regulators are testing cell phones, handheld video games, plasma screens and other electronics to see whether they could leak hazardous materials once buried in a dump.

Regulators ground up laptops and LCD screens, poured acid over the remains and measured chemicals that leached out. Copper and lead from the equipment exceeded hazardous levels.

The fees will be collected by retailers and sent to the state for electronics-recycling programs. Ranging from $6 to $10, the fee depends on the size of the screen. Any monitor larger than 4 inches or larger diagonally is subject to the fee.

"This determination and inclusion of these products into the recycling program will ensure safe, efficient collection and reuse of these electronic devices,'' said Ed Lowry, head of the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control.

A handful of computer salesmen contacted Tuesday and Wednesday said the fees to recycle monitors are a good idea and wouldn't deter buyers. But a few thought manufacturers should bear the burden, not consumers.

"You just can't put any more on the consumer. The manufacturers, I'm sure, are making more than enough money,'' said Rebecca Avelar, a co-owner of the Computer Center of Hayward.

By April 1, manufacturers must submit to retailers a list of electronics that require a recycling fee. State toxics officials are still testing and expect more equipment will require the hazardous recycling fee.

Passed in September, the Electronics Waste Recycling Act requires that manufacturers reduce hazardous ingredients in electronics products sold in California and requires that the state collect fees on certain electronics to fund e-waste recycling programs. - Tri-Valley Herald (Pleasanton, Calif.)