Burlington Free Press - April 20, 2010
Gov. Douglas signs Vermont e-recycling bill
MONTPELIER — Vermonters will have an easier time recycling their old, unwanted televisions, computers and printers with a law Gov. Jim Douglas signed Monday.
The bill puts the burden of paying for recycling the electronic waste on the manufactures of the products, who must register with the state and pay a $5,000 fee starting in July, with an annual fee to be determined next year. The money will go to make free recycling drop-off centers available in every county starting next year.
Currently, fees to dispose of electronics at Chittenden Solid Waste District drop-off centers run from $1 for a keyboard or a computer mouse to $15 for large TVs.
Vermont is the 21st state to adopt an e-waste law. Solid waste districts and municipalities had paid for recycling programs previously.
Currently, fees to dispose of electronics at Chittenden Solid Waste District drop-off centers run from $1 for a keyboard or a computer mouse to $15 for large TVs.
Vermont is the 21st state to adopt an e-waste law. Solid waste districts and municipalities had paid for recycling programs previously.
The state generates about 1.5 million tons of electronic waste a year, said Clare Innes, spokeswoman for CSWD.
Innes noted that because manufacturers will have the responsibility of paying for recycling, they will have incentive to make the products last longer and to build them with fewer toxic substances. An LCD TV, for example, contains 22 lamps with mercury, requiring the TV to be dismantled to reach the bulbs for recycling, she said, citing information from the national group Electronics Takeback Coalition.
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