Californias Electronic Waste Recycling Program IEEE May 06

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Californias Electronic Waste Recycling
ProgramIEEE May 06

• Matt McCarron
• mmccarro_at_ciwmb.ca.gov
• www.erecycle.org

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Intent of the Act

• Provide financial relief to Local Jurisdictions
• Foster cost-free recycling opportunities for
  consumers throughout the state
• Reduce illegal dumping
• Eliminate the consumer stockpile of waste
  monitors/TVs
• Decrease amount of hazardous materials in
  covered products

www.ciwmb.ca.gov
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History of CA Legislation

• Previous bill, and ARF vetoed
• Governor wanted a Manufacturer Take-Back Law, not
  an ARF
• SB 20 became an ARF at the 11th hour
• Governor-about to be Recalled, signed the very
  bill he vetoed the year before

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Key Elements of the SB 20/SB 50

• Consumers Pay AdvanceRecycling Fee 1/1/05
• Retailers remit fees to BOE
• CIWMB disburses Payments to recyclers and
  collectors
• Manufacturer Reporting and Responsibility
• Consumer Information/Public Outreach
• State Environmentally Preferred Procurement Policy

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Consumers Pay Advance Recycling Fee

• 6-10 Fee on CRTs/LCDs, plasma TVs
• Fee applies to new or refurbished devices
• Point of Sale Collection
• DTSC may add other Video Display Devices

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CIWMB Will Disburse Payments

• Government Agency, no Third Party Administrator
• Collectors and Recyclers
• CIWMB approves, notify DTSC recyclers inspected
• Must offer free collection opportunity
• Only CA Collectors and Recyclers

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Payments

• Payments made to qualified entities to cover the
  cost of collection and recycling.
• Eligible activities began January 1, 2005.
• Only properly documented covered electronic
  wastes (CEWs) collected from CA sources.
• Payments are limited to recycling activities that
  occur in-state.
• Recycling payment rate .48 per pound (includes
  .20 per pound which must be passed on to
  Collector).

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Current Stats

• 401 Approved Collectors
• 46 Approved Recyclers
• 31 M Claimed, 64 M lbs.-in 2005
• 7.5 and 15 M lbs. 1st Q 06 2x 05 s
• 21.5 M approved for payment, 44.5 M lbs
• 70 M revenue 2005

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Problems/Opportunities

• Proof of CA source of CEWs
• Complete and verifiable payment claims from
  recyclers, including appropriate source
  documentation
• Processing claims quickly to avoid negatively
  impacting participating businesses.
• Legacy waste-rate of entering the system
• Regulatory complexity of this system

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And yet another Challenge

• Allowing for undocumented but otherwise eligible
  covered electronic wastes (illegal dumping
  abandoned and load check activities) to enter the
  payment system, while
• Protecting the integrity of the fund so that
  California does not become the e-waste dumping
  ground for the country.

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Where do we go from here?

• California E-Waste ACT has a severability and
  sunset clause, if a National Solution provides
  the same relief.
• A national solution is preferred by all
  stakeholders.
• Currently, S. 510, H.R. 425, H.R. 320 do not
  preempt CA

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current e-waste legislation

• Federal
• HR 425 Thompson (D-CA) - ARF
• S 510 Sen. Wyden (D-OR) and Talent (R-MO)
• bipartisan Electronic Waste Recycling and
  Promotion and Consumer Protection Act of 2005,
  would provide consumer and industry tax
  incentives to create the first-ever nationwide
  e-waste recycling infrastructure
• discussed at hearing by Environ. and Public Works
  Subcommittee on Superfund and Waste Mgmt. in July
  2005. 

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Pending state legislation

• KY, UT Task Force
• WA shared responsibility law-done
• NY address disposable cell phones
• NM Hg reduction action plan
• NJ producer responsibility law
• MS management plan
• CA Cell phone bill starts 7/1/06

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Illegal to throw out Universal Waste in CA

• used batteries
• cellular phones
• fluorescent lights
• mercury thermometers
• printers
• VCRs
• answering machines
• radios
• computer and television monitors
• other household hazardous materials

• Took effect Thursday
• Must take to local centers equipped to handle the
  potentially toxic agents
• Communities to establish some kind of household
  waste collection system
• Ban includes products containing mercury or heavy
  metals

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About the E-scrap Industry

• Processes 2.8 billion pounds per year
• 19,000 employees
• Growing quickly
• Attracting capital investment
• Gracestone survey shows 66 FTEs needed per 10,000
  Tons e-scrap processed
• This equals 132 direct jobs/10,000 Tons e-scrap