Beginning January 1st, the Illinois Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act goes into effect, and it will change the way you discard your unwanted electronics in Illinois. Beginning next year, the law will make it illegal for people to dispose of unwanted electronics in their regular trash. Discarded electronics must now be taken to a registered recycler for proper management. It will also be illegal for Illinois landfills to accept unwanted electronics.
The law went into effect in 2008. It requires manufacturers to establish a recycling program for discarded and unwanted electric products if they sell their products in Illinois. The newest phase of the law will include individual citizens in the effort to keep electronics, which contain a variety of potentially toxic contaminants, out of the state’s 48 active landfills. A 2007 report showed that electronic products were the fastest growing portion of the solid waste stream. Three-million-tons of electronic products became obsolete, yet only 14-percent of those products were recycled.
During calendar year 2011, electronics manufacturers are being required to collect and recycle or refurbish more than 28 million pounds of products. The reuse of these products conserves natural resources and saves energy. The law requires manufacturers of 17-electronic products, including televisions, computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, and DVRs, to recycle their percentage of a statewide recycling goal. Manufacturers typically hire local recyclers to help them meet their goal.
For more information, visit the Illinois EPA web site at www.epa.state.il.us.
Source: WJBD Radio