Electronics Waste Recycling Bill Subject Of Oct. 24 Senate Environmental Committee Hearing

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Senate Bill 800 (Alloway-R-Franklin) to create a new Waste Electronic Equipment Recovery Act to replace the 2010 Covered Device Recycling Act that provides for the collection and recycling of electronics waste.

A Joint Conservation Committee hearing in March of 2016 found the state’s electronic waste program has all but collapsed and needs major changes.

The bill continues the existing ban on disposing of electronic waste in landfills, with a limited exception for old cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and monitors.  The bill allows leaded glass to be managed at a facility permitted for the storage or dedicated retrievable cells for leaded glass that complies with EPA waste regulations.

Companies or governments are prohibited from charging for the collection and recycling of electronic waste, except a seller of electronic equipment shall collect a fee from consumers equal to 0.5 percent of the full retail prices, excluding Sales Tax, to be used to administer and implement the program outlined in the Act.

The Department of Environmental Protection is required to establish a network of convenience centers available in every county as a collection point for electronic waste through a Request For Expression Of Interest process to solicit proposals from counties and municipal authorities.

Grants would be available to set up the convenience centers from revenue collected from the consumer fee.

After the convenience centers are established, DEP is required to issue an invitation to bid on recycling electronics waste from these convenience centers. Electronics equipment manufacturers are required to cover the full cost of recycling the electronics waste through the convenience centers.

Electronic equipment manufacturers may petition DEP to set up a convenience center network for recycling electronic waste.

The hearing will be held in Room 8E-A East Wing of the Capitol Building starting at 10:00.  Hearings are typically webcast through the Committee’s webpage.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.   Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: yudichak@pasenate.com.