Northeastern Groups Craft E-Scrap Recycling Legislation

After more than 14 months of research and effort, a group of New England and Northeastern groups have released model legislation for electronics recycling in the area.

The groups involved in the research and development include the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc., the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference, and more than 50 legislators, their staff, and state environmental agency officials.

The range of products that fall under the legislation include desktop and personal computers, including monitors; and both CRT- and non-CRT-based television sets.

The funding for the proposed legislation would come from a $5,000 annual registration fee paid by manufacturers. Additionally, manufacturers would have to either pay a fee to cover the cost of collection, transportation and recycling of their total obligation, or collect, transport, and recycle the material themselves.

Further, retailers of the equipment would be responsible for only selling products of manufacturers that are in full compliance with the law. Also, retailers would post and provide public information describing where and how to recycle the electronic devices covered under the legislation.

The responsibility of the various state agencies would be to establish an annual state recycling rate; collect and administer fees; organize, administer, and ensure that at least once collection opportunity is available at least five days a week in each county in the state; encourage the use of existing collection and consolidation infrastructure for handling CEDs; maintain a website listing manufacturers in full compliance with law and post the list on a website that is updated at least once a month; organize and coordinate public outreach; prepare a plan once every three years that establishes per capita recycling goals, and identifies any state actions needed to expand collection opportunities to meet those goals.

A disposal ban for the e-scrap would be imposed two years after the date of enactment, and enforcement would be run by the individual state agency and the attorneys general from each of the states.

The joint project began February 2005. The decision to craft legislation followed discussions during the fall of 2004 between a number of the CSG/ERC Energy & Environment Committee.

States and regions that were involved in the project included the ten states in NERC (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Quebec.

Along with discussions by various state agency officials, the working group also sought out input from electronics manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, leasing companies, reuse organizations, environmental groups, and local government representatives.

To view the legislation click on the following link – Model Electronic Recycling Legislation