Wisconsin Senator Introduces Bill Addressing E-Scrap

Wisconsin State Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) announced the introduction of legislation aimed at addressing electronic scrap. Miller’s proposal would require producers of the equipment to assume responsibility for the safe disposal of the products.

“My bill allows the industry to devise the system that works best to accomplish the requirements of the bill,” Miller said. “This has the advantage that it does not create a new government program requiring new taxes. The cost of the program is born by the producers and consumers of these products. The Department of Natural Resources would assure that the proposed plans are sufficient.”

The bill calls for a landfill ban on household electronics be enacted one year after the bill becomes law. Miller feels this would create additional markets and jobs for electronic recycling companies. After seven years, the ban on the sale of certain equipment containing toxins such as lead, mercury, cadmium, beryllium, hexavelent chromium, bromated fire retardants, and PVC would be prohibited.

In addition to Miller, five other state senators are sponsoring Senate Bill 367. Along with the primary sponsors, there are 13 state representatives cosponsoring the legislation.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Transportation.

The equipment covered under the bill include televisions, computer monitors, color video display devices, certain video display devices, computers weighing more than six pounds, cell phones, fax machines, printers, and other electronic equipment.

The bill would require a producer to submit a plan describing its proposed program to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources no later than 30 months after the bill becomes law.

Further, the plan would include provisions for the payment of a fee for each piece of a producer’s covered equipment sold at retail in the state. The fee would be $1 before Jan. 1, 2013, $.60 from 2013 to 2017, and $.20 after 2017.