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A new city ordinance is set to take effect on July 31st requiring electronics companies to go door-to-door to pick up e-waste for recycling. Naturally, the industry is fighting it and plans to file a lawsuit against the city to stop the requirement; the Consumer Electronics Association says it will cost the industry $200 million annually. Companies would also have to pay fines starting at $50,000 if they don't recycle enough of their goods. ToteVision's president Bill Taraday tells Daily Finance he's "extremely alarmed" by the nationwide rise in electronic recycling laws, because if this kind of legislation is passed in all 50 states, "we wouldn't be in business." Some had expected a New York state bill to supersede the local mandate, but that died on the vine in Albany. City Councilman Bill DeBlasio, who sponsored the NYC bill, calls it a "national model," but the Wall Street Journal deems it "particularly controversial" because it requires companies to provide free, door-to-door pickup of e-waste, in addition to recycling costs. Here's more on electronics recycling, which will be mandatory for all city residents starting July 2010.
Electronics Industry Vows to Fight Looming E-Waste Law
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Scumbags.
i thought of a solution: stop programming obsolescence into the product. less trash. less trash pickup. but i guess some american manboy-genius in a suit probably brought that up already.
I don't know. I think it's a little crazy to expect all these companies that make electronics to drive around (drive!) picking up our discards. That would lead to a whole lot more driving. And who do you think would pay for it-- YOU! And look, you bought it, you didn't rent it. Seems to me that waste is an owners' problem. Maybe they should only lease their stuff to us.
What if you buy an electronic gizmo, used? Who's waste is it then, when you want to get rid of it. The person you bought it from? Good luck.
This is just silliness. Let's be grown-ups and think of the best way to dispose of or recycle this shit and then do it.
PS- Obsolescence? What about consumers who always have to have the latest upgrade, the newest bells and whistles? Are they not driving the problem?
I have an MP3 player that's 6 years old. Think of it! Practically an antique. It is easy to change out the music and only holds about 45 songs. Guess what-- that's how many I want to scroll through. It is perfect for me and I hope it lasts forever.
I think this law makes sense in a city where the population is dense and car ownership is a rarity. However, I can buy the industry's argument that a state-wide mandate might be a bit much.
this law is anti-business bullshit, placing the onus of proper disposal on manufacturers rather than the consumer or municipality.
most municipalities provide pick up and recycling for their residents (unless you live in naples). the manufacturer of the products that get collected for recycling is irrelevant since the buyer has purchased the item and made claim to ownership.
if need be, tack on a tax at the point of purchase for the recycling cost to local municipality.
the current hodgepodge of disposal options results in a lot of mercury and other heavy metals in landfills.
Here's an idea: force companies to recycle their crap but also introduce a 1-2% tax on all electronics, and these funds go back to companies into an e-recycling fund. If they can effectively recycle things for half of that cost, they can keep the rest. For a $2000 computer, that means an extra 20-40 bucks - I think we can handle that.
Plus, as anyone who read the New Yorker story on cell recycling from a couple of years back can tell you, there's a lot of money in precious metals in recycling cell phones and computers.; the chemical processes already exist to separate these metals (basically Chem 101).
Companies are whining because they want to squeeze more money out of taxpayers before they agree to an e-recycling plan.
Cadmium, Manganese, Tin, Beryllium, and Thallium are essential nutrients that are part of a balanced diet to keep you healthy.