Several state legislatures made changes to their e-scrap programs or implemented new stewardship requirements this legislative year.
In Maryland, Governor Martin O’Malley has signed two e-scrap bills into law — House Bill 448 and House Bill 879. HB 448 directs state procurement offices to purchase IT assets listed on the EPEAT registry, or alternatively, meet specified standards when purchasing new electronic products. Additionally, the bill requires a state office to recycle its end-of-life electronics through processors that meet internally-developed standards.
HB 879 alters registration requirements for manufacturers under Maryland’s e-scrap recycling program. Specifically, the bill adjusts the fees to be paid to the state Department of the Environment and requires new data security and data destruction reporting requirements for any manufacturer that has a takeback program.
With the signing of Senate Bill 2822, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie established the Hawaii Electronic Device Recycling Task Force. The 26-member body will include state officials from the state Department of Health, recycling coordinators from Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Counties, as well as the city of Honolulu, and representatives from the Consumer Electronics Association, the Consumer Electronics Retailers Council, major retailers, the local recycling industry, the shipping and freight industry, and other consumer or industrial technology stakeholders.
The goal of the all-volunteer task force is to make recommendations and serve as a guidance body for Hawaii’s electronics recycling program. The body is scheduled to disband on June 30, 2013.
In Indiana SB 131 has been signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels, which makes minor revisions to the state’s e-scrap program. Included is an extension of the manufacturer non-compliance penalty date to November 1 of the following program year. The bill also authorizes the state to provide solid waste management districts in Indiana with consumer education and material handling best practices information to help in their e-scrap efforts.
