More than 318 million pounds of electronic waste was diverted from landfills in the first three years of New York’s electronics recycling law, state officials announced, but junked televisions and computer monitors are posing a major problem for municipalities tasked with dealing with the so-called e-waste.
Basil Seggos, the acting commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, said in a statement that DEC will provide funds to help local governments deal with the mounting piles of cathode ray tubes from discarded televisions and monitors. He said DEC will also be stepping up enforcement to ensure full local compliance compliance.
The final phase of New York’s 2010 electronics recycling law took effect in January of last year, making it illegal for consumers to throw worn-out or unwanted electronics in the garbage.
Local governments, including the New York Association of Counties, are lobbying to amend the e-waste recycling law to require manufacturers to collect unwanted e-waste.
