Mar 17 - E-waste Recycling Made Easier with ECollective

More than 83% of California households are within 10 miles of an e-waste collection point, thanks to ECS Refining’s Ecollective initiative. The initiative, launched in California only 4 months ago, makes it more convenient for people to bring in old electronic items for recycling, rather than illegally dumping them in the trash.

The convenient opportunities to recycle e-waste in CA was made possible by the passage of SB 20 (Sher), California’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003. However, that law only provides recycling incentives to certified recyclers for only a small subset of electronics generated in California. The ‘covered’ electronics are video display devices such as monitors and television. The majority of e-waste generated is not covered under the existing law, but recyclers are receiving more and more of these items from the public.

While many of California’s certified recyclers have already voluntarily agreed to properly dismantle these ‘uncovered’ devices and not export to developing countries, there is currently no legal requirement or financial incentive for them to do so. CAW-sponsored AB 960 (Bonnie Lowenthal), would address this problem by extending the existing market-based incentive for proper e-waste management to all toxic electronics. Learn more.