NY City Council Overrides E-Waste Veto

The New York City Council has overridden a veto by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the performance standards included in the e-waste recycling legislation that the council adopted in March.

Bloomberg has openly opposed standards that would call for manufacturers within the city to collect an amount of electronics that is based on how much they sold in the city during the previous three years. By 2012, they would have to recycle an amount equal to at least 25 percent of the tonnage sold. In 2015, the requirement would increase to 45 percent and, in 2018, to 65 percent. Bloomberg has said that he will not enforce the standards if his veto is overridden, which means they can be enforced only by an order from the state Court of Appeals.

Because the standards won’t take effect until 2012, the matter won’t be resolved any time soon. “It’ll be taken care of then,” says Jason Post, deputy press secretary for Bloomberg. “The next mayor will have to deal with it.” Bloomberg leaves office in January 2010.