E-Waste Bill Passes California State Legislature

Danielle Jackson

Sacramento, Calif. -- California's State Legislature passed on Friday Senate Bill 1523, paving the way for the state to establish recycling goals for obsolete computers and televisions while requiring retailers and manufacturers to collect front-end fees to finance an e-waste recycling system. The measure now goes to the governor's office for review.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Byron Sher, D-Stanford, was adopted on the final day of the state’s legislative session with the support of local governments, private recyclers, environmentalists and at least one California-based computer manufacturer, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Corp.

Specifically, the law would establish a $10 recycling fee to be collected by retailers and manufacturers on the sale of all computer monitors and television sets containing hazardous cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Revenue from the fee would be used to make recycling incentive payments to private, public and non-profit organizations to establish a system to collect CRT devices.

The measure also has established CRT device recycling goals -- 25 percent by 2004, 50 percent by 2007 and 75 percent by 2010. For more information on the bill, visit www.cawrecycles.org.