Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Curb Electronic Waste

Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) today introduced the National Computer Recycling Act, a bill that would direct the EPA to develop and implement a national electronic waste (e-waste) recycling program. "Over 3,000 tons of electronics are discarded everyday in our country," Rep. Thompson said. "Obsolete computers are taking up space in closets, warehouses and landfills and each of these computers contains dangerous materials such as lead and chromium which pose a significant risk to human health and the environment." "Electronic waste is growing exponentially as more Americans are upgrading their computer equipment every few years," Rep. Slaughter said. "But with federal regulators slow to implement a comprehensive e-waste reduction program, Congressional action is necessary to curb the rising tide of this toxic waste." The average life span of a computer has shrunk from five years to two and approximately 50 million computers are discarded every year. Maine and California have already enacted their own e-waste laws. Without a national law, states are creating a patchwork of different laws from coast-to-coast making it difficult and expensive for manufactures and retailers to adhere to fifty different laws. The National Computer Recycling Act would: · Direct the EPA to develop a grant program to encourage municipalities, individuals and organizations to start e-waste recycling programs. · Require a comprehensive e-waste study to be conducted by the EPA which would make ongoing recommendations for addressing the problem. · Direct the EPA to asses a fee of up to $10 on new computers in order to fund the grant program and exempt manufactures and retailers that have existing recycling programs from the fee. The bill's sponsors hope to hold meetings and roundtables with all parties that have a stake in the e-waste debate. Rep. Thompson said, "We've done our best to draft a bill that considers the interests of all parties involved and we will continue to seek input as we move forward. However, the e-waste problem is growing worse each day and the time has come for Congress to act."