DEC: Electronic Equipment Recycling Act Officially In Effect

Utica, NY (WIBX) - The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act takes effect today. The law mandates that electronic manufacturers take responsibility for recycling their products in an environmentally friendly manner. Director of Recycling at the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority, David Lupinski, says locally the changes will be felt monetarily, because manufacturers will now have to help pay for the cost of recycling the material.

"Last year we did about 170-tons of electronics in Oneida and Herkimer County alone," Lupinsky said, and added that the Authority pays a few cents for each pound they recycle. Lupinski said that along with the new law, there will also be future bans on electronic recycling. "By 2014, the state is going to ban certain electronics from being disposed in the landfills so this is the first step and our program is currently in effect, and we're working with many haulers and generators now to make sure that this material is brought to us and properly recycled," he said.

The Act was signed into law on May 28, 2010 by Governor David Paterson and starting today, the state law requires a manufacturer who produces electronic equipment to accept, recycle or reuse the collected material. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is charged with oversight of the new recycling partnership and added that the law also requires that producers establish a convenient system for the collection, handling, and recycling or reuse of the collected electronic waste. For more information contact the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority at (315) 733-1224 or visit the groups website at www.ohswa.org to learn more.