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E-waste Recycling June 15, 2016 12:30:07 PM

North Carolina Senate approves bill to end electronics recycling in the State

Paul Ploumis
ScrapMonster Author
The North Carolina Senate has given approval for a bill that proposes to end electronics recycling in the state.

North Carolina Senate approves bill to end electronics recycling in the State

ASHEVILLE (Scrap Monster): The North Carolina Senate has given approval for a bill that proposes to end electronics recycling in the state. The bill also revokes ban on computers, televisions and printers in local landfills. The regulatory reform bill, approved by a 30-15 vote, will now head to the House.

According to authors of the bill, the recycling program created through legislation in 2010 is not working efficiently, mainly on account of shortage of recyclers in the state to collect old televisions and computers. Also, the costs associated with recycling of these old devices have also increased significantly. The depressed recycled electronics market has badly impacted industry growth, they added. Sen. Trudy Wade, R-Guilford, a co-author of the bill noted that counties are reportedly holding large piles of televisions, having been unable to locate recyclers who could process them.

As per studies, N.C’s collection system has diverted nearly 19,000 tons of electronic equipment from landfills every year. The diverted e-waste represents only 0.2% of the solid waste generated in North Carolina each year. The state has diverted almost 90,000 tons of electronics from landfills since 2010. N.C had come up with electronics recycling legislation in 2010 to create recycling opportunities to citizens through existing recycling infrastructure with the support of producer responsibility obligations. However, due to inadequate producer support to the program, local governments were burdened with high recycling costs, the study noted.

Although computer products have rapidly changed during the last decade, with the introduction of smaller laptops and tablet computers, recycling these devices has continued to be profitable for electronics recyclers. The costs associated with recycling televisions have however increased significantly, particularly for the older type of televisions containing cathode ray tubes.

The North Carolina electronics law calls for active participation by computer and television manufacturers in supporting the system. Accordingly, both computer and TV manufacturers must register with the state annually, by paying a fee. The television manufacturers are required to recycle or arrange for the recycling of their market share of the total televisions that are collected in North Carolina. They are also required to provide annual report on total units collected and recycled in the state.

Market prices for most recyclable commodities have been relatively weak since 2014 due to a number of factors, including a slowdown in Chinese demand for secondary materials and a strong U.S. dollar. The major commodities produced from electronics –ferrous, non-ferrous, and precious metals, and plastics–have all been affected directly by this market downturn.

Meantime, the decision to end electronics recycling program has come under severe criticism from various environmental groups. According to the state Sierra Club, the decision comes as a setback for the electronics recycling industry in the State, which had supported hundreds of jobs. Also, ending of the recycling program and granting permission for electronics to be landfilled or incinerated will eliminate the option of safe disposal of electronics to North Carolinians. This will also result in accumulation of toxic chemicals in landfills, club noted.

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