Oregon House OKs electronics waste bill

The Oregonian, May 16, 2007

SALEM -- Oregonians will have access to free and convenient recycling of their old computers and televisions under a bill sailing toward passage by the Legislature.

The bill passed the House by unanimous vote Tuesday and is headed to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily. The governor has pledged to sign it.

If that happens, Oregon would join Washington and California and become the sixth state to mandate electronics recycling. Twenty-two other states are considering proposals aimed at keeping defunct and potentially toxic electronics out of landfills.

Oregon's House Bill 2626 does not cover printers, scanners, cell phones, iPods or DVD and video players, all of which supporters say could be added to the law in the future.

But it does ensure that Oregonians living in rural towns as well as big cities will be able to take their obsolete computers, monitors and television sets somewhere nearby to be recycled.

Under the proposal, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2009, manufacturers would be required to register, pay a fee to the state, and either provide recycling services directly or pay a state-approved organization to handle high-tech scrap.

There's no estimate yet on how much of that cost would be passed on to the consumer.

Existing recycling operations -- such as Portland's Free Geek -- would continue to exist, as long as they can meet Department of Environmental Quality rules.

Backers of the measure compared it to Oregon's 1971 Bottle Bill, which was the first in the nation to require a nickel deposit on beer and soft drink containers, redeemable when the containers are returned for recycling.

Oregon's recycling ethic "has become an integral part of our identity," said Rep. Jackie Dingfelder, a Portland Democrat who has worked since the 2003 session to push a computer recycling bill through the Legislature.

"Most Oregonians don't want to throw their TVs and computers, otherwise known as e-waste, into the garbage," she said during the brief and friendly floor speeches.

Republicans praised the bill, too.

"Will this be good economically? Absolutely," said Rep. Scott Bruun, a Republican from West Linn. "This will help create jobs throughout Oregon."

Previously, television makers, computer manufacturers and other industry lobbyists objected to any government mandate. Many major manufacturers already have their own recycling programs, they argued.

On Tuesday, industry lobbyists milled about outside the House chamber during the vote, but said they are not going to try to kill the bill in the Senate.

"We'll see if it works," said Jim Craven, a lobbyist for the Oregon Council of the American Electronics Association. "There's no program up and running like this in the United States."

The Oregon Conservation Network, a coalition of state environmental groups, made e-waste recycling one of its six priorities for the 2007 session.

The groups argue that computer monitors, television sets and other electronics contain hazards that can threaten humans and the environment if not properly handled.

For example, the cathode ray tube in a computer monitor can contain as much as 4 pounds of lead, which can damage the nervous system. Printed circuit boards can have small amounts of mercury. Plastics can contain flame-retardant chemicals that can be released into the environment and move up the food chain to humans.

The DEQ estimates that Oregonians discarded 32,500 tons -- or 1,625 semi-trailer loads -- of obsolete electronics in 2005. Only a fraction were recycled or reused. Most were either taken to landfills or exported to other countries, where they were incinerated.

The proposed law imposes a $500 civil penalty for disposing or knowingly accepting covered electronic devices at a landfill or solid waste disposal site.

Michelle Cole: 503-294-5143; michellecole@news.oregonian.com Read the original story