Dispensing with the indispensable: getting rid of our electronic gadgets is an environmental challenge.

• Author: Spielvogel, Tamra

They are everywhere. On our nightstands. In our purses and briefcases. They adorn our desks at work. They are the ever evolving gadgets of a modern life that keep us on time and in touch with our friends, family, co-workers and the world around us. To many they are merely a PDA, a computer or a cell phone. To policymakers across the nation they represent a balancing act between environmental stewardship and technological advancement.

These indispensable gadgets are an e-waste challenge. According to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers, 3 billion units will be scrapped during the rest of this decade. Just how do you manage the sheer volume of material and the hazardous components these numbers represent? That is the very question policymakers at the federal, state and local level are grappling with.

STATES LEAD

Despite the national nature of the problem, it is state legislators who are pressing for effective ways to handle e-scrap. During the 2005-2006 legislative sessions, bills aimed at managing e-waste were introduced or considered in 25 states. Lawmakers continue to target their initiatives to the particular needs and assets of their communities. That's what California, Maine and Maryland considered when they adopted their statewide programs.

Washington joined Maine and Maryland in enacting an "extended producer responsibility program." This approach ensures that companies are not only concerned with making a product and how it works, but also with how the product is disposed of at the end of its useful life. California, on the other hand, collects the money up front with an "advance recovery fee" that is paid by consumers at the point of sale. Washington's law covers more products than the other three states, including TVs, desktop computers (CPUs--central processing units), and monitors. Producers must pay not only for e-waste recycling programs, but the collection and transportation of their products to recycling facilities.

"One of the most effective tools in addressing issues on the environmental side," says Washington Senator Craig Pridemore, "is ill affecting economic markets. The goal is to encourage environmentally responsible results."

Washington manufacturers can create their own takeback programs, work with existing e-waste collectors, or participate in a standardized plan administered by a third party. Washington's third-party organization will be the first in operation nationally despite long standing stakeholder interest in the concept. It is hoped that third-party organizations will serve as a private sector alternative to a government recycling administration and preclude the need...