Electronics Recyling in NYC - What's That About?

As the fate of a City Council bill requiring electronic waste recycling rests on the tip of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s pen, many New Yorkers have no idea where and how to dispose of unwanted electronic items, many of which contain environmental hazards like lead and mercury.
Sabrina Brown, for example, has never heard of “e-waste” recycling.
Ms. Brown, 20, a student from Richmond Hill, Queens, said she had three cellphones, an old laptop computer, an old television, two old radios and three old cameras sitting in her room.
“I don’t know where to take them,” she said.

Mr. Bloomberg has expressed strong opposition to a bill passed by the City Council last month that would fine New Yorkers $100 for throwing electronics in the garbage and would require manufacturers to take back their products and those made by companies that are no longer in business.

The Lower East Side Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental group, holds monthly electronic waste drop-off events. The center also works with Build It Green! NYC, a nonprofit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials, which accepts unwanted electronics at its warehouse in Astoria, Queens, Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Per Scholas is a Bronx-based organization that accepts old electronics and refurbishes computers to distribute in low-income communities and to schools. Some retailers, including Staples, accept old electronics at their stores for recycling.

Last year, the Lower East Side Ecology Center collected 118 tons of discarded electronics, more than in any previous year, though the center also held twice as many collection events as it had in the past.

The Sanitation Department, which began its electronics drop-off events in 2004, saw a steady increase in its collection through the first three years. But the number of tons collected dipped to 295 in 2007 from 309 in 2006, though the number of people who provided something for recycling increased. According to a Sanitation Department study of waste disposed in 2004 and 2005, discarded electronics made up 0.64 percent of the city’s trash. But even a small amount of such waste can produce contamination, said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Carey Pulverman, the project manager for the Lower East Side Ecology Center, spends much of her day on the phone with people looking for ways to get rid of old electronics. “The thing is, people don’t want to go out of their way to do it,” she said. “Mostly, it’s them trying to talk to me about why they need their stuff picked up.”

Full Story, NYTimes

Electronics Recycling Bill

The Big Apple is a step closer to adopting one of the toughest electronics recycling laws in the nation. The City Council approved a bill that would impose a $100 fine on anyone who throws an old computer, printer or other electronic gadget into the trash. Recycling the electronic waste will become mandatory, and manufacturers will be required to take back their own products as well as those made by companies that have gone out of business. The Council estimated that New Yorkers purchase more than 90,000 tons of electronic products every year. The gadgets contain hazards like lead and mercury, and most end up in the trash. If the new measure becomes law, the city’s voluntary electronics collection and recycling programs would be replaced by a variety of programs designed and run by Sony, Dell and other electronics manufacturers. Those efforts could include curbside pickups, returns by mail and in stores, and neighborhood collections.

NYC would become the first major city in the nation with an electronics recycling law that takes aim at producers. Ten states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, have already adopted similar measures. (New Jersey’s law is not yet in effect.)

Under the proposed law, manufacturers would start collecting electronics for recycling in 2009. Starting in 2010, city residents could be fined $100 if they threw out a piece of electronic equipment. In 2012, manufacturers would have to collect enough discarded electronic equipment to equal 25 percent of the average weight of the goods they sold in the city during the previous three years.

During the first 2 years, manufacturers would only have to accept their own products. But starting in 2011, they would be required to take products from any manufacturer, or face a $2,000 fine for each item they refused to take. For this reason, the mayor is hesitant. “The administration supports ‘e-recycling,’ but the current bill has untested and arbitrary industry performance standards, which we will not support,” said John Gallagher, a spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, who was traveling. “These standards penalize manufacturers for the actions of customers, which we believe is unconstitutional.”

The mayor was expected to veto the measure, which passed 47-3, but the strong level of support in the Council could lead to an override or to concessions from both sides.

To learn more, go to NYTimes

STAY TUNED...

RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS/CLOTHING

MANHATTAN: Sunday January 6, 2008, from 10am - 4pm Union Square Park - North Plaza Broadway & E 17th Street
MORE INFO: www.lesecologycenter.org*

BROOKLYN: Saturday, January 5th and Sunday, January 6th from 1pm until 5pm462 Marlborough Road (between Ditmas and Dorchester), Flatbush

MORE INFO: http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=273

RECYCLE YOUR TEXTILES: The Material Mondays pilot program at Union Square ended December 31, 2007 to make way for park renovations, but the textile recycling continues at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn! Visit us at Second Chance Saturdays, Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, NW Entrance to Prospect Park Saturdays from 8pm – 4pm from January 5 through March 29, 2008.

Source: Council on the Environment of NYC