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 ProductsElectronic Equipment and Product StewardshipNorthwest StatesSeveral electronic product stewardship programs have been implemented in Washington, Oregon and California. Several of these activities and programs are a result of recent legislation. This page also includes studies, reports and initiatives that have helped inform electronic product recycling programs throughout the northwest.
The rules include requirements for collectors, processors and transporters that participate in the program to collect, transport and/or process computers, monitors, laptops, and televisions (covered electronic products or CEPs) from covered entities. Covered entities are households, charities, school districts, small businesses (less than 50 employees), and small governments (cities with a population of less than 50,000 and counties with a population less than 125,000 and special purpose districts). Among other requirements, the rule includes minimum performance standards that processors must comply with in order to receive compensation from the program for processing CEPs. In addition to the mandatory performance standards, Ecology has developed Environmentally Sound Management and Performance Standards for Direct Processors. These are more stringent, voluntary standards that processors can comply with to receive "preferred status” from Ecology. A status report will be available on Ecology's Web site. Electronics manufacturers are required to register with Ecology and must submit an administrative fee each year. If a manufacturer fails to register and pay the fee, their covered electronic products may not be sold in or into Washington state to any covered entities after January 1, 2007. As of January 1, 2007, all computers, laptops, portable computers, televisions, and computer monitors sold or offered for sale, in or into Washington, must have a brand label permanently affixed to the product. Attaching this brand label is the responsibility of the manufacturer. Retailers can only sell CEPs if the CEP carries a label with the brand name of the manufacturer. Collectors and transporters are also required to register with the Department of Ecology. Check out the Collector's Focus Sheet for guidance on how to be a collector in the Electronic Product Recycling Program. Listen to comments from from Suellen Mele of the Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation and John Swiderski of the Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority (WMFFA) on environmental standards for the electronics recycling program in the March 26, 2008 KPLU News brief, Washington Prepares for E-Waste Recycling.
Under the new system, manufacturers of CEDs sold or offered for sale in Oregon must register with DEQ and pay an annual registration fee to fund DEQ’s administrative costs for the program. They can choose to manage their own statewide collection programs or participate in a state contractor program established by DEQ. Manufacturers cover their own manufacturer-run program costs or pay a recycling fee to participate in the state contractor program. The new law prohibits disposal of CEDs in Oregon beginning January 1, 2010. For an implementation schedule visit the Electronics Recycling Program web site. On February 17, 2009, television stations will stop broadcasting analog signals and will convert to digital. For more information about the conversion, see the Oregon DEQ Factsheet: Don’t Toss That TV! What to Do With Your Old TV Set.
National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI)NEPSI was a national dialogue involving 45 stakeholders and over 30 observers, including all levels of government, electronics manufacturers, environmental groups, recyclers, and retailers. The dialogue was initiated in April 2001 as a one year process. The goal of NEPSI was to develop a voluntary national product stewardship system that would include a viable financing mechanism to maximize the collection, reuse, and recycling of used electronic products. After four years of work, the NEPSI negotiations came to a close on April 15, 2005. The final NEPSI meeting was held on February 9 and 10, 2004 in Portland, Oregon. At the meeting, NEPSI stakeholders developed a compromise resolution that was to serve as guidance toward establishing a national electronics management system. The first action to be undertaken and resolved was industry-wide consensus on a financing model that would be supported by a significant portion of the market share of both the information technology (IT) and consumer electronics (CE) sectors. Several deadlines for reaching an agreement on the financing model came and went without a consensus and a decision was made to close down NEPSI. The group did come to consensus on a number of issues surrounding a national electronics recycling infrastructure including the specific electronic products that would be covered under a national program:
Other documents finalized by NEPSI include a description of the Collection Incentive Payment, Environmentally-Sound Management Protocol, Advanced Recovery Fee/Partial Cost Internalization Hybrid System, Hybrid System Transition and Guidelines for Performance Goals/Measures. These documents can be found on the NEPSI Web site. The Northwest Product Stewardship Council sent two representatives to the table including a steering committee member from Snohomish County who represented local governments. Local and state government agencies coordinated comments and input to NEPSI via the National Product Stewardship Institute (PSI). More information on the NEPSI process, including a list of stakeholders is available at the NEPSI web site. Proposed Financing Systems for E-Waste Recycling ProgramsThe State of Washington and the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) are proposing various systems for financing electronics collection and recycling programs. The following document and charts, developed by Snohomish County, provide explanations of how these systems might work:
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