Summary
After signing a bill prohibiting consumer electronics with lead or other toxic metals in state landfills and incinerators, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is looking to charge a $10 recycling fee to fund the collection of TVs and computers. Since these products contain toxic chemicals, the fee is necessary to help the companies and the government recycle them instead of sending them into the environment.
Original source:
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/10673115.htm
Details
Consumers would pay a $10 "advance recycling fee" when they buy televisions and computers, under legislation supported by Gov.
The money raised would finance the collection and recycling of the computers and TVs.
It's needed, backers said, in the wake of a bill Pawlenty signed into law in 2003 that banned consumer electronics containing lead and other toxic metals from Minnesota landfills and incinerators.
The proposal is based on a California plan supported by technology manufacturers, and it leaves the fee collection duties to retailers instead of creating a new state agency.
The surcharge is projected to raise $15 million a year.
The state official who's guiding the plan said it's "not a slam-dunk proposal or a done deal," but said analysis has shown it's both easy for consumers to understand and would provide the funds needed to implement the ban.
"The governor's office supports this recommendation and we will work with the Legislature to develop a bill," said Art Dunn, director of the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance.
The bill is a product of hearings held by the Office of Environmental Assistance that included representative of industry, environmental and government groups, and other concerned parties.
Buzz Anderson, president of the Minnesota Retail Association, said retailers in the state would prefer uniform national legislation regulating the recycling of consumer electronics.
Anderson said retailers would accept the $10 fee as long as it's designated on consumer receipts, and that it's incurred by all merchants, including online retailers.
"Otherwise, this puts the retailers who invest in
Minnesota, pay wages and salaries and property taxes at a huge disadvantage," Anderson said.
According to Appliance Manufacturer Magazine, about 608,000 TVs, 703,000 PCs and 266,000 laptops were sold in Minnesota in 2003.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Monday, January 31, 2005
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