NEW YORK TIMES ENTERS 21ST CENTURY--UNSTEADILY

JUNE 7, 2010, 12:14 PM
New York State Cracks Down on E-Waste

By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Stuart Isett for The New York Times Aluminum scrap from old computers, television sets and other electronics.
There’s a far better place than the trash bin for your old computer monitor. Like plenty of other electronics items, it may contain toxic substances like lead, mercury and cadmium that are hazardous to the environment and human health if mismanaged.

Starting next spring, consumers in New York State should find the disposal process a bit easier. Under a new law governing electronic waste, manufacturers across the state must offer free programs enabling people to drop off their items for proper recycling or reuse.

The collection programs will be required starting April 11; after that, manufacturers will not be allowed to dispose of electronic waste at landfills. Starting Jan. 15, 2015, consumers will also be prohibited from throwing out e-waste in their garbage or dumping it at a landfill.

Based on each manufacturer’s market share of electronic sales in New York, the state will mandate that each company recycle or reuse a certain amount of electronic waste each year.

Those who collect more waste than required can bank, trade or sell “recycling credits” for the excess waste they collect. Those who do not collect their share will face fines that will go toward state-run recycling programs.

The state law is more stringent than an electronic waste law approved in New York City in 2008; while the city’s version requires manufacturers to offer collection programs, it does not require them to recycle a certain percentage of what they sell.

The City Council voted to include such a requirement, but Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg refused to sign it, saying it could penalize manufacturers for the failure of consumers to recycle.

The new state law covers electronics like television sets, computers, printers, keyboards and DVD and MP3 players, but excludes items like refrigerators, washing machines, clothes dryers and microwaves.

New York is the 23rd state to pass an e-waste law. Maine was the first, in 2006. Until New York acted, South Carolina was the most recent to approve one, in a vote in early May.