The Joint House-Senate Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing March 21 on the collapse of Pennsylvania’s Electronic Waste Recycling Program created by the Covered Device Recycling Act.

            Last week the PA Resources Council reported only 25 percent of state residents have access to free TV recycling, down from 63 percent just a short time ago, and that coverage 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.

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.

Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester), the original sponsor of the e-waste recycling law, is planning to introduce changes to the law to try to get it back on track.

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

The Committee hearing will be in Room 8E-A East Wing of the Capitol starting at 9:00.

Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango) serves as Chair of the Joint Committee.  To sign up for a monthly update from the Joint Committee, send an email to: mnerozzi@jcc.legis.state.pa.us.

For more information on e-waste recycling, visit DEP’s Covered Device Recycling Act webpage.

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2/29/2016