Electronic Waste Recycling Act 2003


 

1. Date Enacted

     The law was enacted on September 24, 2003 in California.  It was amended on January 1, 2005 by the governor to include the Electronic Waste Recycling Fee.

 

2. Reasons for Enactment

     This law was enacted because electronic wastes, mostly from cell phones, computers, and televisions, became the fastest growing solid waste conflict in the world.  Electronic wastes are a source of toxic and hazardous substances.

 

3. Controversy

     There is little controversy over this act; however, consumers purchasing new electronic products have to pay a fee called the Electronic Waste Recycling Fee which goes hand-and-hand with the Electronic Waste Recycling Act.

 

4. What it Does

     This act is a law aimed toward reducing the use of the following hazardous materials in electronic products in California: lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium.  This act covers all CRT, LCD, and plasma display devices that have a screen size over four inches diagonally.  Also, under this law, people have to dispose of these products differently, usually by sending it to a facility that has a permit for treatment.

 

5. Impacts

     The impacts this law has had is less disposal of hazardous material in electronic wastes, electronic waste recycling programs that have spread to seven other states from California, and electronic products that are safer to use.  For example, computers that used to have high concentrations of lead and mercury have been significantly reduced.