NY says put up or shut up to eWaste
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05.30.05
We saw this one over at the ever P(h)unny Grist and thought we just had to share it with ya. Anthony De Palma reporting for the New York Times notes that the City Council is “considering what would be one of the toughest laws in the nation to force manufacturers to take the discarded devices back.” It could enforce makers to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for their sold units, should they want to continuing selling goods in the Big Apple. We’ve reported on the issue in the past and in this story, Anthony mentions that the EPA estimate that 70% of the heavy metal leachate from landfills comes from discarded electronics. See the original piece at ::The New York Times [by WM]
Other than the sites noted in our previous story, you might wish to dig deep at The eWaste Guide
What can the average person do about their electronic waste? I have old computer stuff lying around in my apt. like it's a landfill because I don't know how to get rid of it.
Susan, look around for a local recycler specializing in computers and electronics. Here in Ottawa we have Computer Recyclers Inc. http://www.computerrecyclersottawa.com/
I found one! Unless it's a Sony product they want a "small fee", though. I'll make it over there sometime. I also found a place that recycles batteries, which is good because I go through a lot of those. Thanks!