With 2012 Comes New Electronic Waste Law

If you got a new television or computer for Christmas or Hanukkah and want to get rid of the old one, you can’t throw it in the trash.

As of Jan. 1 landfills will not take electronic equipment of any kind. 

The ban is a result of a new law authored and guided through the Illinois General Assembly by . In all, more than 30 items including televisions, monitors, computers, fax machines, VCRs, scanners and printers can no longer be deposited with regular trash. Homes, multi-unit buildings, condos, schools, libraries, houses of worship and park districts will not have to pay for this new service. 

"The idea is to have original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) pick up some of the recycling costs," said Mary Allen, a spokesperson for the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC). SWANCC has worked to recycle electronics since 1999, according to a statement released in November. Allen told Patch that recycling electronics can be incredibly costly.

"Some of the drives we would host could cost $50,000 to make sure we recycled in a manner that wasn't exporting the waste elsewhere," Allen said. So far OEMs have been cooperative, she said, adding that SWANCC is "comfortable and confident" about the permanent drop-off sites it's created in Glenview and Winnetka.  

And as OEMs take on more of the cost, Allen said that fiscal responsibility is being reflected in the prices of electronic goods. 

"Ultimately consumers are the ones paying for it—when you buy a laptop there's a couple dollars added to the price because manufacturers know they have to pay for it at the end of its life," she said. 

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Meanwhile the burden of enforcing the law will be on landfills and transfer points that are regularly inspected by the Illinois Environmental Agency, according to Mel Nickerson, an attorney for the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

Though fines can be imposed, Nickerson hopes education of the public will do the job. “Public awareness and local collection points by municipalities are essential,” he said. “Schools can get involved. People will police themselves. It’s the right thing to do.”

The law also places responsibility on manufacturers, according to Nickerson. In 2012, producers of electronics must recycle in tonnage an amount equal to 50 percent of what they make. The ratio rises to 60 percent in 2013 and beyond.

, the state House of Representatives sponsor of the bill, explained the new legislation was passed to replace existing laws which were not effective.

“When you have a law on the books people can be lulled even if it’s not working,” Biss said. “This gave me the opportunity to do something that really mattered.” 

Meanwhile State Senator Susan Garrett told Patch that she sees employment opportunities in the new legislation. “This is also a job creator,” Garrett said. “I saw this as an opportunity to create jobs through the refurbishing of old computers and other equipment.”

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