A Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced a bill that would revamp the state’s extended producer responsibility program for electronics.
State Democratic Sen. Amanda Cappelletti introduced Senate Bill 1310, which would update a state recycling program that she describes as failing. The Keystone State’s Covered Device Recycling Act requires manufacturers to fund collection and recycling of certain types of devices.”The existing program, which inhibits many Pennsylvanians from disposing of their electronics properly or safely, has resulted in the accumulation of unusable electronic devices within households across the state,” Cappelletti wrote in a March memo informing her colleagues she planned to introduce the legislation. “Some individuals have resorted to the illegal disposal of such devices in landfills, streams and forests. Further, in certain locations within the state, residents are paying exorbitant fees as high as $200 to recycle their electronics.”
In her letter, Cappelletti said her bill would ensure convenient options for consumers to drop off their electronics, and it would ensure they aren’t charged fees when doing so. Counties would have the opportunity to opt in to the program.
Learn more in person
Next month’s E-Scrap Conference in New Orleans will offer attendees an in-depth look at the biggest trends on the legislative side of the sector. The How the State Program Landscape Is Evolving session takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 20. And the Tensions in State Programs panel is set for Wednesday, Sept. 21. Sign up for the event today!Counting Cappelletti, the bill is sponsored by nine Democrats and no Republicans. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Pennsylvania’s legislature.
The bill was introduced Aug. 10, and Cappelletti announced it in a press release on Aug. 19.
SB 1310 comes after a Michigan lawmaker introduced a bill in late June that updates that state’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for electronics. Introduced by Republican state Sen. Dan Lauwers, Michigan’s Senate Bill 1137 was referred to a Senate committee on June 30.
