NJ Senate Passes Mercury Bill

The New Jersey State Senate passed Assembly Bill 2482 which establishes a program for the removal of mercury switches for end-of-life vehicles.

The bill passed the Senate Feb. 14 by a vote of 36-0. The bill now awaits the New Jersey Governor’s signature before it is enacted into law. If it is signed into law it would make New Jersey the second state to mandate automakers pay recyclers to remove the mercury switches in junked vehicles.

The bill was first introduced into the New Jersey State Assembly March 11, 2004. The mercury minimization plan would create a collection and recovery program for mercury switches removed from the vehicles. Further, if signed into law it would require vehicle manufacturers, either individually or as a group, to develop and submit to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection mercury minimization plans within 90 days after enactment of the bill into law.

As part of the plan, manufacturers would provide information on the makes, models and years of vehicles that may have mercury switches and implement an education and outreach program to help recyclers in performing the mercury removal process.

The bill also would require manufacturers to pay a minimum of $2 for each mercury switch removed by a recycler as partial compensation for the labor and other costs incurred by the recycler for the removal of the mercury. Additionally, the manufacturer would pay $.25 to the NJ DEP for each mercury switched removed as partial compensation for the DEP’s costs.

For the recycling industry, the bill would require recyclers who handle the automobiles to remove all mercury switches identified in the minimization plan prior to delivery to a scrap facility, unless the mercury switch is inaccessible.

The bill also calls for the scrap yard to agree to accept an ELV, which has not been intentionally flattened, crushed or baled, containing mercury switches, in which case the scrap yard would be responsible for removing the mercury switches.