Electronics manufacturers are facing expanding regulatory moves as multiple states broaden their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs for e-scrap, shifting toward convenience-based collection programs to meet recycling targets.
With 25 states and the District of Columbia covering 66% of the US population under e-scrap laws, jurisdictions continue to address collection and funding challenges as programs and technology evolve.
This three-part series in E-Scrap News examines the latest policy updates from four states navigating these regulatory shifts.
Hawaii sees positive shifts in revisions
Hawaii’s latest e-waste law revisions expanded both the range of electronics eligible for collection and the number of manufacturers required to fund the program, while also adjusting the state’s weight-based recycling targets to address compliance challenges.
“[SB 1298] does recognize, after negotiations during the legislative session, that 70% target, but we need a little more time to try and get there in the state of Hawaii,” said Katie Reilly, vice president, environmental affairs and industry sustainability, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), to eSummit 2025 attendees.
The state passed its first electronics recycling law in 2008, revising it in 2022 to require manufacturers to fully pay for the program when funds for its implementation ran empty months earlier than anticipated.
SB 1298, which went into effect on July 1, 2025, incorporated legacy devices such as fax machines and VCRs, digital media players, DVD players, DVRs and routers and modems. The program now covers new product categories for peripherals such as keyboards, power supplies, adapters and video game consoles.
A manufacturer of only electronic peripherals and not devices is not required to pay into the system. However, manufacturers raised concerns about meeting weight collection targets set at 70%. Consequently, they are set to raise incrementally at 63% for 2025, 66% for 2026 and will ultimately reach 70% in 2027.
Reilly noted a trend in which states are moving to a convenience-based program where if manufacturers meet certain convenience requirements in terms of collection opportunities for consumers, they would not be penalized for failing to meet weight requirements.
“Essentially, they would be supporting collections throughout the islands, but if the volume didn’t come in, there’d be no penalty associated with that,” she said.
The updates also increase reporting requirements for both manufacturers and other stakeholders in the program. Hawaii’s Department of Health previously expressed concerns about the number of electronics being collected outside of the program.
“There’s not much data around that at this point in time,” Reilly said. “They’re going to be doing an evaluation if the volumes are sufficient to meet the manufacturer targets, again, addressing some of these concerns that CTA has raised over time.”
The Department of Health is required to prepare a comprehensive report for the legislature ahead of the 2028 legislative session, examining both the volume of electronics collected within the official program and any collection activities occurring outside the program. This data will help lawmakers and stakeholders understand the full scope of electronics recycling in Hawaii and inform future policy decisions.
“We’re going to get more details on how and where electronics are collected, where there’s some room for recycling to get a better assessment of what’s actually happening on the ground there in Hawaii,” Reilly said.
