New Wis. Bill Holds Manufacturers Accountable for E-cycling
by Trey Granger
Published on June 18th, 2009
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The Wisconsin State Senate has passed a bill that will require all electronics manufacturers to provide recycling programs for electronic devices sold in the state starting Sept. 1.
The program is similar to a law passed by Oregon last year in which manufacturers must register with the state and document the products they are selling. Starting in 2010, these companies will be required to register electronics sold in Wisconsin containing hazardous substances such as lead and mercury.
While some products, such as aluminum cans, do not require sorting or separation, e-waste is not composed of just one material. Electronic devices are constructed with many different materials, so recycling of e-waste is a more complex process. Photo: Ehow.com
For those manufacturers that don’t already offer a recycling program, they can partner with an existing program that offers collection from consumers. An example of this would be Sony partnering with Waste Management to provide free drop-off at its Recycle America locations.
Amber Meyer Smith of the Clean Wisconsin program says that current recycling measures resulted in only 10 percent of electronics being properly recycled in the state.
“Making it easier for consumers to properly dispose of electronic waste will have a substantial impact on the health of our environment,” says Smith. “Our office alone recycled over 400 pounds of e-waste last year. Imagine the impact if businesses and families across the state had a convenient avenue for properly disposing of such waste.”
Recently, the issue of electronics being exported overseas has become both an environmental and a health concern. The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Campaign have qualified a group of electronics recyclers known as e-Stewards that have met criteria for globally responsible recycling.
In addition to choosing a recycler, it is also important to prepare your e-waste for recycling. For computer recycling, one important concern is to erase all data from the computer before sending it off for recycling.
