New York City Electronics Recycling

FAQ

1) Electronics recycling is an important concern, so why do ITI and CEA oppose the New York City recycling regulations?

The high tech industry fully supports effective recycling programs that encourage the safe and appropriate recycling of electronic devices. In fact, manufacturers are currently complying with recycling requirements in 19 states, throughout the entire European Union and in Japan, and have never before brought any legal action in any jurisdiction on this issue. Many manufacturers and retailers have also instituted voluntary programs nationwide. The New York City regulations, however, are unreasonable, ineffective and environmentally harmful. The regulations will increase traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions in the City, inconvenience and cost consumers and place an enormous financial burden on manufacturers in a difficult economic environment.

2) What do ITI and CEA suggest as an alternative plan for electronics recycling?

An effective recycling program requires a shared responsibility among the manufacturers, retailers, local, state and federal governments as well as consumers, who own the products and benefit from their use. While there are effective state programs in place, the high-tech industry has been long working towards federal electronics recycling legislation that would finally bring together all stakeholders under a national framework.

3) If manufacturers will be responsible for creating their own recycling programs, will this be an issue for small companies?

Like all manufacturers, small companies will be required to institute a recycling infrastructure in New York City, which will include investing in trucks and in employees. This is an enormous cost for small companies already grappling with the current recession.

4) Many consumers seem eager to help the environment by recycling or cutting energy consumption, but how will the regulations directly impact consumers?

To both comply with the City's ban on curbside waste pick up as well as the mandate in the new recycling regulations that each manufacturer is independently responsible for picking up and recycling its own devices, consumers recycling one or multiple devices will have to schedule separate in-house pick-ups with each appropriate device manufacturer. While the recycling programs will be at no charge to consumers, manufacturers will likely be forced to increase prices nationwide to offset the expected minimum $115 million annual program cost.

5) How do the regulations in New York City compare to regulations and programs in other cities and states?

A recycling program in New York City would be much more expensive than programs succeeding in other cities. For instance, in 2007, the California program spent approximately $75 million to recycle over 150 million pounds of electronics. Merely collecting 150 million pounds of electronics under the New York City regulations is estimated to cost between $135 and $475 million. As manufacturers will be held solely responsible for the cost of recycling, this is especially discouraging news during an economic recession.

6) Why don't manufactures provide door to door collection for used electronics?

Manufacturers rely on a national distribution network to transport, deliver and sell our products. With few exceptions, we do not have a direct connection with our customers at the point of sale. This is particularly true in New York City, where consumers typically buy their electronics at Best Buy, Target, Staples, J & R, and hundreds of other retailers throughout the City.

7) What recycling opportunities do manufacturers currently make available to New York City residents?

To meet our corporate commitments on environment and sustainability, industry's best role is to provide a variety of recycling options to consumers. These include a combination of collection centers, special collection events, and mail-back programs for smaller electronics. Many of these are offered for free to New York City residents.

We can provide a list of recycling programs our members offer and an additional list of NYC retailer take back centers can be found on the City's website.

8) How are unused electronics currently recycled in New York City?

The Department of Sanitation has held electronics recycling events at various locations throughout the City. Additionally, New York City residents can participate in recycling programs hosted by retailers, private recyclers or manufacturers. In the past, New York City has admitted that direct collection of consumer electronics products is not feasible. A City website stated that "it is cost-prohibitive to collect (electronics recycling) directly from homes." The web text was later taken down after City officials were made aware of the statement.

9) What percentage of New York City's residential waste stream consists of obsolete electronics?

According to the Department of Sanitation, electronics (excluding appliances) comprise 0.64% of New York City's residential waste stream.

Electronics Recycling General

10) What are electronics companies currently doing to address concerns about electronics recycling?

The high-tech industry has been a leader in eco-design practices-creating products out of environmentally-friendly materials, using efficient designs that require fewer materials and maximizing reusability and recyclability. Most leading manufactures now have explicit DfE (Design for the Environment) guidelines. Implementation of these guidelines, published by the EPA, ensures that products use the minimal amount of the most benign and recyclable materials and they are constructed to be easy to disassemble.

In addition, nearly all major high-tech manufactures and some retailers have also voluntarily established take back and recycling programs. To date, the high-tech industry has recycled several billion pounds of electronics recycling.

For more information about what high-tech manufacturers are doing to address electronics recycling, please download CEA's Environmental Sustainability and Innovation in the Consumer Electronics Industry report or visit any of these manufacturer websites:

11) Won’t making electronics manufacturers responsible for collection and recycling of obsolete electronics products give them incentive to make more environmentally-friendly products?

Manufacturers are continuously working to develop more environmentally-friendly products, not only to fulfill their responsibilities as environmental stewards, but also to meet consumer demand for eco-friendly products. Saddling manufacturers with extremely burdensome costs and regulations will not speed the pace of innovation.

12) Doesn’t the electronics industry need government regulation in order to drive more environmentally-friendly practices?

Government regulation is not the force driving continuous environmental improvement. Our companies compete on product sustainability measures to meet customer demand and to secure billions of dollars in federal contracts for green equipment. Visit Epeat's web site for more information.

13) Doesn’t planned obsolescence in product development contribute to the growing electronics recycling problem?

High-tech products are not designed to become obsolete. While the sustained pace of high-tech innovation is indeed astounding, these devices often have multiple owners over years of useful life. There is a growing global demand for IT, wireless and consumer electronics devices that enable communications, increase productivity, and provide access to health, entertainment and educational resources. Electronics manufacturers will continue to design sustainability considerations into innovative new products that the public demands.