e-Waste Progress
Electronics are being replaced on a daily basis, but few of us know what to do with them. Instead, we throw them away with our weekly garbage and computer parts end up in the landfill. Few get recycled and disposed of properly. Result: mounts of electronics are pilling up in our landfills.
The greatest concern is that the electronic devices carry toxic substances such as lead, cadmium and mercury. These substances pose threats to the environment and to our health, if not properly recycled. Other metals such as aluminum, ferrous metals and copper are also found and need to be properly disposed of. Problem is that not many people know how to do it and there aren't many e-waste friendly disposal sites available in Canada. It's a growing problem with an even faster growing generation of electronic users who upgrade products to newer and better.
That may soon be changing in the U.S. with a new legislation that would impose a national "e-fee," a recycling charge that would be paid like a sales tax on computers, televisions and other electronic devices according to an article in Computerworld.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson called the bill, National Computer Recycling Act. The bill was introduced years ago, but for the first time, it may actually be taken seriously. Environmental policies and platforms are no longer ignored. Politicians can run on an environmental platform and possibly win with the growing interest in climate change and global warming.
Four states in the U.S., California, Washington, Maryland and Maine, have approved electronics recycling laws and another 21 states are considering similar measures.
Electronic makers and retailers need to agree on a method to charge recycling fees. The new legislation is modeled after California's law, which imposes a fee on newly purchased electronic devices. The retailer keeps 3 percent to cover its costs and the rest goes to the state, which distributes the money to recyclers at 48 cents per pound.
The other option is not to pay a fee at purchase, but have manufacturers be responsible for recycling costs. When someone returns a computer to place of purchase, the retailer gets in touch with the manufacturer and sends the computer to the manufacturer.
Would this work in Canada? Absolutely. The steps are already in place. Since 2004, Canada has been implementing its own five year program to get manufacturers to be responsible for recycling computer parts. There is also talks of implementing a tax on laptops and printers between $2 and $7, and $20 to $25 for television sets and personal computers.
Read more about the mounting concerns on e-waste in Canada. The questions remains: When will we start hearing about this program taking shape in Canada? When will we know what to do with our old electronics? What will it take?
The greatest concern is that the electronic devices carry toxic substances such as lead, cadmium and mercury. These substances pose threats to the environment and to our health, if not properly recycled. Other metals such as aluminum, ferrous metals and copper are also found and need to be properly disposed of. Problem is that not many people know how to do it and there aren't many e-waste friendly disposal sites available in Canada. It's a growing problem with an even faster growing generation of electronic users who upgrade products to newer and better.
That may soon be changing in the U.S. with a new legislation that would impose a national "e-fee," a recycling charge that would be paid like a sales tax on computers, televisions and other electronic devices according to an article in Computerworld.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson called the bill, National Computer Recycling Act. The bill was introduced years ago, but for the first time, it may actually be taken seriously. Environmental policies and platforms are no longer ignored. Politicians can run on an environmental platform and possibly win with the growing interest in climate change and global warming.
Four states in the U.S., California, Washington, Maryland and Maine, have approved electronics recycling laws and another 21 states are considering similar measures.
Electronic makers and retailers need to agree on a method to charge recycling fees. The new legislation is modeled after California's law, which imposes a fee on newly purchased electronic devices. The retailer keeps 3 percent to cover its costs and the rest goes to the state, which distributes the money to recyclers at 48 cents per pound.
The other option is not to pay a fee at purchase, but have manufacturers be responsible for recycling costs. When someone returns a computer to place of purchase, the retailer gets in touch with the manufacturer and sends the computer to the manufacturer.
Would this work in Canada? Absolutely. The steps are already in place. Since 2004, Canada has been implementing its own five year program to get manufacturers to be responsible for recycling computer parts. There is also talks of implementing a tax on laptops and printers between $2 and $7, and $20 to $25 for television sets and personal computers.
Read more about the mounting concerns on e-waste in Canada. The questions remains: When will we start hearing about this program taking shape in Canada? When will we know what to do with our old electronics? What will it take?
posted by Anna Kat at 4:57 PM
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