Legislation in play in New Jersey would provoke an overhaul of the state’s e-scrap program and offer an easing of state requirements for mobile hard drive shredding.
Senate Bill 2973 would likely increase original equipment manufacturer recycling targets, and SB 2978 would allow mobile hard drive shredders to operate without a state permit. Both passed unanimously through the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on June 15.
The next step for the bills would be a reading on the full Senate floor. Such action is not yet scheduled for either bill.
While there had been rumors New Jersey would attempt to do away with manufacturer collection targets and let the state determine prices for processing, the recent recycling target legislation, introduced by Sen. Bob Smith, requires each manufacturer to “collect, transport, and recycle its market share in weight.”
The current collection-setting mechanism used by the state has been criticized by some within the recycling industry as setting the collection bar too low for manufacturers.
Sen. Smith’s bill also requires manufactures to offer curbside recycling services in cities and offer services to government entities and schools.
SB 2978, meanwhile, would permit mobile hard drive destruction companies to operate without having to obtain a permit to do so from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). An amendment to the bill requires mobile shredders to be certified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), and it requires all shredded material be sent to DEP-approved recycling outlets.
NAID, which helped craft the bill, issued a press release commending the legislation as “an important milestone” and a sign of broader support for the data destruction industry.