Washblog

I stumbled across some good points regarding the E-Waste legislation making its way through the House and Senate (HB 2662, and SB 6428). If you are unfamiliar with the E-Waste bills, the bills essentially establish a statewide recycling system for TVs and computers that will be available at no charge to all households, small businesses, small governments, school districts, and charities. The senate bill was heard recently in the Ways and Means committee. There appears to be strong bi-partisan and business support.

Bill opponents misconstrued the bill at the Ways and Means hearing and in their materials presented to the legislators. Looks like it is time to take a minute and address their falsehoods and get the facts straight.

Falsehood: SSB 6428/HB 2662 would result in a tax on small governments, charities and small businesses.
What the E-Waste bill really does: There is no tax or fee of any kind. The program will be paid for by electronics manufacturers and by retailers who carry their own line of electronic products. The costs of the program will become a cost of doing business that will then be embedded in the product price. According to Hewlett Packard, the company will cover these costs by raising wholesale prices by a few cents on the products it sells nationwide. Small governments, charities and small businesses will save money if this bill is passed, and for that reason are big supporters.

Falsehood: The program is unworkable because it requires manufacturers to track sales of products in Washington State.
What the E-Waste bill really does: Manufacturers will be responsible for recycling their fair share of electronics, based on the percentage of their products in the waste stream. This amount will be determined through a statistical sampling that will occur once a year, conducted by the Department of Ecology, not manufacturers. Because this system is based on the waste stream and not on initial sales or market share, there is no requirement that manufacturers track shipments or in any way quantify sales. This is a simple and streamlined way to apportion costs that ensure everyone is paying only for their fair share.

Opponents would prefer a government-run program funded by recycling taxes or fees collected at retail outlets. Such a program will not address the illegal dumping problem that results from consumers having to pay a fee to properly dispose of electronic items. The E-Waste bill makes use of private market forces and private sector know-how to develop a smart, efficient and effective system, one that will reduce illegal dumping and achieve results.

Update [2006-2-9 9:53:24 by Brian]: - Jon over at Evergreen Politics has the good news: SB 6428 passed with a solid bi-partisan majority 41-8....now on to the house.