Despite the overriding negatives of the recent Environmental Protection Fund cuts passed in Albany, there is one positive component: a strong new provision on electronics waste recycling.

The EPA estimates that Americans generate 15 pounds of electronics waste each year.Folded into the bill signed by the governor last week was an e-waste recycling measure that calls for all manufacturers selling electronics equipment in New York to recycle or reuse their market share of e-waste, by weight, based on a three year average of annual sales as determined by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The law will go into effect on April 1, 2011, according to the Associated Press.

The provision also mandates that these manufacturers provide consumers with free and convenient access to e-waste recycling, and accept any used products that they previously manufactured.  Additionally, consumers may drop off one old piece of equipment for recycling at the time of purchase of a new one of the same type.  Beginning January 1, 2015, consumers will be prohibited from disposing of e-waste at any solid or hazardous waste facility.

Electronic equipment covered by the law includes DVD players, VCRs, MP3 players, video game consoles, fax machines, computers and computer peripherals. Many of these products commonly contain toxic chemicals and compounds, raising potential pollution problems when they are disposed in landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans produce approximately 15 pounds of e-waste per person per year, yet the e-waste recycling rate nationwide lingers around 13 percent. 

The new measure not only shifts the cost burden of recycling these materials from consumers to manufacturers, but also serves as an incentive for manufacturers to use less hazardous and more easily recycled or reused components. 

The law is among the most progressive of its kind nationwide, and NYLCV applauds the legislature and the Governor for taking this important step on the increasingly problematic issue of e-waste disposal.