July 2009 Newsbrief
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Ryan Knutson reports in the Wall Street Journal on the fight between
city and state legislators and small electronics firms regarding the passage of
various laws mandating that electronics manufacturers pay for the electronic
recycling programs.
The small manufacturers believe they are being overcharged and dislike the fees
levied against out-of-state businesses.
Proponents of the laws say that the businesses are billed fairly, and that
because the manufacturer's equipment must be disposed somewhere, the place of the original sale
does not make a difference.
Proponents also point to the increased recycling rates as a sign the
programs are working. For instance, Oregon's program recycled 5 million pounds of
electronics in the first quarter of 2009. This puts them on pace to far surpass their
annual goal of 12 million pounds.
Electronics manufacturers, however, feel that an excessive amount of the costs are being placed on them.
According to Knutson, 19 states plus New York City have already passed similar laws,
and 12 states have similar legislation being discussed.
New Jersey's producer responsibility
law requires manufacturers to pay a fee to NJDEP,
and to set up a recovery program for the collection, transportation and recycling of
computers and televisions.
New York City's law calls for manufacturers of electronics to provide door-to-door
pick-up of their old products beginning July 31st, 2009.
Because the manufacturers have procrastinated in dealing
with the hazards of recycling their products, bureaucrats are now mandating programs
which are likely to be inefficient and overly costly.
Unfortunately, these costs will eventually be borne by the consumers... either through
higher prices or increased taxes.
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