Summary
This bill amends the Environmental Conservation Law related to the recycling and safe handling of electronic equipment. It broadly defines “manufacturers” of electronic equipment to include entities that assemble, sell, import for sale, or own a brand name that is sold in New York State. This measure would require manufacturers to submit for Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approval an electronic waste management plan and implement that plan by 2010. By 2014, manufacturers would be required to collect a minimum of 25 percent of their annual equipment sales (by weight) each year, and increase that collection rate to 45 percent by 2017. Under the Act, manufactures would be prohibited from imposing any fee on consumers for collection. The bill would also prohibit the disposal of electronic equipment in traditional solid waste disposal systems by either manufacturers or consumers.    

Explanation
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, more than two million tons of used electronics were discarded nationwide in 2005, with less than 15 percent recycled, and the balance ending up in landfills or incinerators. That same year, it was estimated that 130,000 computers were discarded in a single day. Adding to this rising flood of this “e-waste” are the estimated hundreds of millions of pieces of electronic waste being stockpiled in homes and businesses, waiting to enter the waste stream. Rapid changes in computers and the emergence of new technologies add to the volume of e-waste every day.

E-waste is an environmental hazard. Computer monitors and older TV picture tubes contain on average five pounds of lead and require special handling upon disposal. In addition to lead, these items are often riddled with toxics and known carcinogens, including chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants. When these electronics are not disposed of or recycled properly, they pose a major threat to public health and the environment. An increasing portion of the state’s e-waste is being exported to developing countries where irresponsible disposal and scavenging practices result in devastating impacts on human health and the ecosystems of those receiving countries. Furthermore, reducing and recycling the raw materials found in many electronics conserves natural resources and reduces air and water pollution. 

This bill would do much to address the state’s growing challenge of e-waste, while protecting New Yorkers and the health of our natural resources by simply updating the state’s solid waste policies. 

Environmental Advocates of New York strongly supports this bill.