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.
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