E-Waste Bills Pass California Senate, Move to Assembly

Danielle Jackson

Sacramento -- Two California Senate bills that would require manufacturers to enact producer responsibility laws for their electronic, or e-waste, have cleared the state Senate with bipartisan support.

Senate bills 1523 and 1619 would require that manufacturers achieve set recycling goals and pay the net cost of recycling and proper disposal of their obsolete equipment. Additionally, retailers would be responsible for collecting recycling fees from consumers on equipment that contains cathode ray tubes (CRTs), such as computers and televisions.

The bills also would prohibit recyclers from exporting their e-waste to countries such as India and China.

The legislation currently sits in the State Assembly for further consideration.