FILE NO. ______RESOLUTION NO. ______
URGING COMPUTER AND OTHER HAZARDOUS ELECTRONICS PRODUCERS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REUSE AND RECYCLING OF THEIR PRODUCTS.
Page 1
WHEREAS, Hazardous electronic discards are an increasing problem, with more than 6,000 computers becoming obsolete in California every day[1], and 3.2 million tons of electronic waste ending up in United States landfills in 2000 and estimated to quadruple in the next few years[2]; and,
WHEREAS, Hazardous electronics contain lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polyvinyl chloride, brominated flame retardants and other materials that can pose hazards to human health and the environment when handled improperly; and,
WHEREAS, The California Department of Toxic Substances Control recently affirmed that discarded cathode ray tubes, such as those found in televisions and computer monitors, are prohibited from disposal, increasing concerns and costs regarding handling, management and liability; and,
WHEREAS, discarded computers and televisions may represent just the tip of a growing problem for local government with waste hazardous electronics; and,
WHEREAS, Managing hazardous electronic scrap through [County/City’s] existing household hazardous waste program will potentially double the volume and cost of this already over burdened program; and,
WHEREAS, Only 14% of personal computers that became obsolete in 1998 were recycled or refurbished[3]; and,
WHEREAS, [County / City] is committed to protecting public health and the environment from hazardous discards, while reducing waste and increasing recycling consistent with state waste diversion requirements; and,
WHEREAS, the form, volume and toxicity of electronics scrap demands substantially greater producer responsibility for: 1) reducing the amount of hazardous materials in electronic devices; 2) Diverting hazardous electronics from solid waste disposal; and 3) Increasing the reuse and recycling of electronic devices and components; and
WHEREAS, Extended Producer Responsibility principles, such as those being adopted by several countries and the European Union, will foster the development of sustainable design and recovery of hazardous electronic equipment by shifting the default burden of management responsibility from local government, ratepayers and taxpayers back to the manufacturers, distributors and consumers of such products, in part by internalizing lifecycle costs in the price of such products; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the [Board of Supervisors / City Council] of [County / City] hereby urges its State Assembly and State Senate Representatives, by letter and receipt of this resolution, to introduce and support legislation requiring computer and other hazardous electronics producers to operate or fund comprehensive programs whereby products are sustainably designed and labeled, consumers receive a financial incentive for proper disposal, a convenient collection infrastructure yielding a high rate of recovery is created and environmentally sound reuse followed by recycling is maximized; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That if no effective producer responsibility program is created by the electronics industry or enacted by the California Legislature and signed by the Governor by October 15, 2002, [County / City] will commence preparing a local ordinance to require sellers and manufacturers to take back hazardous electronic equipment free of charge at the point of purchase or to otherwise establish and finance a convenient recovery system; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That [County / City], should the electronics industry and the Legislature and Governor fail to act, may additionally require a deposit or fee at the point of sale to provide incentives for consumers to properly return for reuse or recycling such products and cover the costs to [Your County / City] and others for proper management of such products.
This Model Resolution can be downloaded from
policies.htm.
Page 1
[1] Californians Against Waste, “Addressing the Environmental and Economic Cost of Obsolete Electronics (E-Scrap) in California.” See also, National Safety Council, op cit., for National Figure.
[2] “Computers, E-Waste, and Product Stewardship: Is California Ready for The Challenge,” May 11, 2001, Report for the US Environmental Protection Agency.
[3]Electronic Product Recovery and Recycling Baseline Report, National Safety Council, May 1999.