The PA Resources Council Tuesday urged all Pennsylvania residents to contact their legislators to urge them to fix the state’s electronics waste recycling law to ensure convenient and free access to recycling for their old TVs.

PRC said only 25 percent of state residents have access to free TV recycling, down from 63 percent just a short time ago, and that number continues to shrink.  In the last 2 years PRC said--

-- Goodwill announced it will no longer accept TVs for recycling;

-- Five counties around Philadelphia report they were forced to suspend electronics programs because no recyclers were willing to support them;

-- Construction Junction in Pittsburgh closed its doors to accepting electronics;

-- York County shuts down all electronics collections sites;

-- eLoop, a Pittsburgh-based recycler, announces it will no longer offer CDRA-supported recycling in western PA; and

-- Best Buy issues a news release announcing it will no longer accept TVs for recycling at its 37 PA stores.

PRC, which operated electronics waste collection events in Western PA, collected over 500,000 pounds of e-waste from 3,500 participants in 2015.  74 percent of that was TVs.

The 2010 e-waste recycling law-- the Covered Device Recycling Act-- makes it illegal to send a TV to a landfill for disposal.

The lack of recycling opportunities and the ban on landfill disposal means more Pennsylvanians may resort to illegal dumping.

Keep PA Beautiful wrote to every House and Senate member earlier in February warning 2016 could be a “record-breaking year for abandoned and dumped electronics” if Pennsylvania’s electronics recycling law isn’t fixed.

In January the Electronics Recycling Association of PA, representing e-waste recyclers,  called for action to fix the state’s recycling law saying without fundamental changes recycling opportunities will continue to disappear.

PRC urges Pennsylvanians to “Let your state senator and representative know that you want them to support an amendment to the law that ensures all residents of PA have convenient and free access to recycling their TVs.”

Click Here to find who your legislator is and how to contact them.  Click Here for 12 things you should know about Pennsylvania’s e-waste recycling law.

Click Here for the PRC action flyer on e-waste recycling.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Resources Council website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates, follow PRC on Twitter or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here for PRC’s Events Calendar.

NewsClips:

Recycling TVs No Easy Task In Pennsylvania

Illegal Dumping Concerns Rising On Electronics Waste

PA Electronics Recycling Fix A Long Way Off

York Waste Authority Offers Free Litter Cleanup Disposal

Homes Shaken By Tremors From IESI Landfill Gas Burnoff

Landfill Manager Explains Rumbles Shaking Homes

Landfill Gets DEP Approval To Use Glass As Cover

Related Stories:

2014 DEP Report To General Assembly Documented Problems With E-Waste Recycling

Analysis: Electronics Recycling Effort Shrinking In PA, The Law Needs To Be Fixed

2/22/2016