Electronics Recycling

The Oregon and Texas legislatures have passed bills that would require electronics manufacturers to pay for the collection and recycling of obsolete electronics from consumers in their states.

These producer-responsibility bills are awaiting the signatures of their respective governors, which would make Oregon and Texas the sixth and seventh states to pass laws mandating electronic waste recycling programs.

"Not only are states saying that it’s time for the electronics industry to take responsibility for recycling their products, but they are passing these bills with unanimous votes and little debate," Barbara Kyle, Computer TakeBack Campaign national coordinator, says.

The Computer TakeBack Campaign circulated a press release announcing the passage of the legislation in Oregon and Texas. The campaign is a national coalition of organizations promoting sustainable and responsible practices throughout the high-tech electronics industry.

Rep. Jackie Dingfelder sponsored Oregon’s HB 2626, which requires manufacturers that sell products in the state to finance free, convenient and environmentally sound recycling services for televisions, personal computers, laptops and monitors. Manufacturers can create their own take-back programs or participate in a common program, but they must pay for collection and transportation in addition to recycling costs. Programs should make recycling as easy as buying, take back covered products of any brand and provide convenient collection across the state. Programs must be free to households, small businesses, small nonprofits and anyone with seven items or fewer. State and local governments will fund consumer education and promotion of the law. The bill also includes a landfill ban on televisions, computers, laptops and monitors, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Texas House Bill 2714, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Bonnen, was sent to Gov. Rick Perry Monday, May 28, for signature. The bill, which was based on model bill language from Dell Inc. of Round Rock, Texas, applies to computer equipment but not to televisions. The bill requires computer manufacturers selling in the state to establish free and convenient programs to collect and recycle their own brands of desktops, laptops and monitors sold to consumers. Retailers would only be allowed to sell brands of computers that appear on a list of manufacturers with recovery programs. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) would maintain the list. In addition, the TCEQ would be required to educate the public regarding the computer recycling program, maintain program information on a Web site, enforce requirements for recycling computer equipment and compile and issue an annual electronic report to the legislature. Under the Texas law, consumers will be responsible for clearing information off their computer equipment before turning it in for recycling and disposal.

The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), Arlington, Va., has released a framework that, according to the organization, "paves the way for federal legislation establishing a national program for recycling household TVs and information technology (IT) products such as computers and computer monitors."

The board of EIA’s Environmental Issues Council, which includes companies such as HP, Lenovo, Panasonic and Sharp, approved the plan, and EIA officials have delivered copies to the Bush Administration, Congress, state officials, industry stakeholders and environmental organizations.

"This framework represents the first consensus agreement among IT and TV manufacturers on meeting the nation’s electronics recycling challenge," Matt Flanigan, EIA’s interim president and CEO, says.

The EIA’s proposed framework, available at www.eia.org, calls for a bifurcated financing approach, separating TVs from desktop computers, laptops and computer monitors, to reflect their divergent business models, market composition and consumer base. TV collection and recycling would be primarily conducted by an industry-sponsored, third-party organization and initially would be supported by a nominal fee consumers would pay at the time of purchase. The fee would expire once a significant number of "legacy" televisions had been recovered.

Producers of IT equipment would implement a program to collect and recycle their products in a manner that is convenient and free for household consumers.

The EIA framework also calls for meeting the materials restrictions established by the European Union’s Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and a similar California statute.