A reason to love Maine

A new law in Maine will require manufacturers of TVs and computer monitors to be financially responsible for the safe disposal and recycling of their products. It is based on similar laws in Europe and Japan that require manufacturers to pay for sending electronics to recycling centers. The recycling centers remove the toxic materials such as lead and mercury and the non-toxic parts are sent to landfills. Maine's recycling law is the first to hold manufacturers responsible for the cost of disposal. There are other recycling laws such as in California requiring customers to pay a disposal fee when they buy a TV or computer monitor and in Maryland computer makers must pay a registration fee which in turn is distributed to recycling centers. Two major reasons for this law: prevent toxins from being released into the environment and to encourage manufacturers to design better safer products that can be recycled.

Fun Fact provided by the Natural Resources Council of Maine: "TV's and older computer monitors each contain between four and eight pounds of lead, along with an array of other toxic materials, and newer flat-screen monitors contain mercury. "

Thanks to Jon Hinck of the Natural Resources Council of Maine who lobbied hard for the new law. Good on ya mate.
'E-waste' law forces manufacturers to pick up tab
CNN Technology pages Wednesday, January 18, 2006
as reported by AP PORTLAND, Maine