Senate Bill 734
Pennsylvania legislators are attempting a revamp of the existing e-scrap recycling program to streamline its functions and make it more user-friendly.
State legislators are proposing a new piece of legislation called SB 734. This bipartisan bill seeks to modify the existing Covered Device Recycling Act that was passed in 2010, creating the Pennsylvania E-Waste Steering Committee. The Committee will be comprised of representatives from both industry and environmental organizations, as well as experts chosen by various state legislative leaders.
A press release recently issued by Senator Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican, and Senator Amanda Cappelletti, a Democrat, has revealed their intention to establish a clearinghouse model and institute eco-fees for certain materials, that customers will pay for at the time of purchase. These measures are all part of a strategy to manage the accumulation of electronics, and reduce the costs associated with disposal.
As outlined in the bill, a fee which wouldn’t exceed $10 will be put into place on March 31, 2024 for various covered materials. These items include computers, TVs, printers, VCRs, portable digital music players, DVD players plus any related peripherals.
A Reintroduced Bill
Last sessions Electronic Waste Recycling Modernization Act, sponsored by Democratic representation, was reintroduced as SB 1310, but unfortunately died in committee. This bill would have created an executive steering team and modified a clearinghouse-managed extended producer responsibility program for electronics, to be supported via fees extracted when buying new devices under its coverage.
The reintroduced bill seeks to create a “collaborative, self-sustaining system” of partners like manufacturers, recyclers, retailers, local governments, and state organizations such as the Department of Environmental Protection. One of its measures includes convenience standards with “reasonable days and hours of operation.”
Any county in the state will be provided with the opportunity to take part in the program, and citizens could dispose of materials with no cost incurred to themselves or to local governments.
Analyzing the Current Conditions
At present, the law requires that manufacturers must supply recycling solutions for specific covered items, such as televisions and computers, however the press release indicated that “this system has failed to keep pace with demand.”
In 2010, legislation was passed mandating that producers must take responsibility for recovering, shipping, and reprocessing their relative portion of all covered electronic devices based on the sales from two years prior. Additionally, the law prevents fees at time of purchase.
The results of this method have presented “in the accumulation of unusable electronic devices within households across the state,” a press release noted. “Some individuals have resorted to the illegal disposal of such devices in landfills, streams, and forests. Further, in certain locations within the state, residents are paying exorbitant fees as high as $200 to recycle their electronics.”
In a different press statement, Pennycuick expressed that, “Our Commonwealth faces the ever-growing challenge of how to properly dispose of our old electronic waste,” she said. “The bill Sen. Cappelletti and I are proposing meets these challenges head-on by bringing the public and private sectors together to institute a uniform system of disposal and recycling. This will provide convenient options for consumers, lessen the burden on local governments and alleviate impacts to our environment.”
