CSG/ERC and NERC Announce Model Legislation Targeting Electronic Waste Recycling

CSG/ERC Staff Contact:
Rona Cohen
646-383-5712
rcohen@csg.org

NERC Staff Contact:
Lynn Rubinstein
802-254-3636
lynn@nerc.org

April 18, 2006, New York, NY – States will be better prepared to address the challenges of electronic waste management thanks to model legislation released by the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC) and the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC). An Act Providing for the Recovery and Recycling of Used Electronic Devices seeks to ensure the environmentally sound management of discarded electronic devices -- which are the fastest-growing components of America’s waste stream, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- and promote the development of statewide infrastructures for their collection and recycling.

Currently, there is no national program to address the proliferation of electronic waste in a comprehensive manner, and states are moving to fill the void. Four states – California, Maine, Maryland, and Washington -- have passed laws that mandate different approaches to financing and administering electronics end-of-life management systems. More than twenty other states have introduced legislation governing electronic waste. Many state officials and stakeholders in the Northeast agree that establishment of coordinated, multi-state end-of-life programs would enable states to avoid a patchwork quilt of laws and regulations that could increase compliance and management costs and reduce recycling opportunities.

“What most people don’t realize is that contained in our televisions, computers, and even cell phones is a chemistry lab of toxins. The biggest threat to our environment comes from circuit boards, batteries and liquid crystal displays, plus the difficulty of recycling plastic casings is a major problem,” said New York State Senator Carl Marcellino, co-chair of the CSG/ERC Energy & Environment Committee and chair of the New York Environmental Conservation, Housing and Agriculture Budget Subcommittee. “Now is the time to address the issue of electronic waste. By waiting to craft a plan to deal with e-waste, we will be continuing to slowly kill our environment and increasing the cost of countless landfill cleanups.”

Throughout the 14-month project, CSG/ERC and NERC facilitated an effort among more than 50 state legislators, legislative and environmental agency staff to craft a coordinated, legislative approach for the collection and recycling of desktop and personal computers, computer monitors, laptops, and televisions in the region. Participants hailed from the ten states from Maine to Delaware, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Québec. The group regularly solicited input from a variety of stakeholders - including electronics manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, environmental groups and local government.

The potential benefits of the legislation include reduced compliance costs for manufacturers, lower management costs for government, and increased recycling opportunities and efficiencies. New York State Assemblyman Bill Colton has already filed the bill in his state. Pennsylvania Representative Chris Ross and New Hampshire Representative Suzanne Butcher plan to do so this year. Other Northeast lawmakers have expressed strong support for the legislation.

“In the absence of a national program for end-of-life electronics management, a multi-state solution is critical – and this legislation represents a major step forward,” said Massachusetts Representative J. James Marzilli, Jr., co-chair of the CSG/ERC Energy & Environment Committee and vice-chair of the Massachusetts State Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “This model bill will enable states to develop sorely needed infrastructure for the collection and recycling of discarded computers and televisions, without burdening municipal governments that are already struggling with high costs.”

The legislation calls for manufacturers to assume responsibility for the collection, transportation and recycling of discarded electronics. It would establish collection programs that are convenient for consumers, create environmentally sound management standards, set clear performance goals, and allow opportunities for multi-state collaboration, among other provisions.

Retailers would be responsible for providing public information that describes where and how to recycle the devices. The state Agency would manage all funds and administer statewide collection and recycling programs.

Click here for the full text of the model legislation - An Act Providing for the Recovery and Recycling of Used Electronic Devices.

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The non-partisan Council of State Governments is the nation’s only regionally based, state services organization working with all three branches of government. The Eastern Regional Conference was established in 1937 and includes: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the Eastern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Québec, and New Brunswick.

The mission of CSG/ERC is to provide a forum for new ideas; promote successful state policy innovations; encourage multi-jurisdictional problem solving; offer leadership training and technical assistance; serve as a catalyst for public/private dialog; and forecast policy trends affecting the region.

The Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. is a regional organization working directly with state agencies in the ten Northeast states. As the only forum for cooperative research, collaborative action, and networking on regulatory, market & business development issues that link recycling & economic development it is unique in the Northeast.

The mission of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services.