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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 Electronic Product Recycling Law requires all manufacturers of covered products to register with the Department of Ecology, submit an administrative fee each year and participate in a recycling plan. If a manufacturer fails to register and pay the fee, their covered products may not be sold in or into Washington state 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. Retailers can only sell covered products if the product carries a label with the brand name of the manufacturer. The Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority (WMMFA) is the quasi-governmental organization created to implement the “Standard Plan” on behalf of the manufacturers. The WMMFA has a board of directors made up of 11 electronics manufacturers. All manufacturers participate in WMMFA’s Standard Plan unless they opt to submit an “Independent Plan” to manage their share of covered electronic products. Manufacturers that operate Independent Plans must comply with the same requirements as the Standard Plan. Collectors and transporters are also required to register with the Department of Ecology. Check out the Collector's Focus Sheet (PDF file, 55KB) for guidance on how to be a collector in the Electronic Product Recycling Program. Local governments in Washington State can use the E-Cycle Washington Local Government Toolkit (PDF file, 472KB) to find answers to questions, share information with residents and the community, and work with the media. For an overview of the first eight months of the program view the fact sheet, Electronics Recycling in Washington: A Product Stewardship Solution (PDF file, 176KB). 2009 E-Cycle Washington Fact Sheet. Northwest Product Stewardship Council 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.
Oregon E-Cycles requires both current and former manufacturers that sell or sold computers, monitors, or TVs in Oregon to annually register with DEQ, pay a registration fee, participate in a recycling program, and cover recycling costs. As of January 1, 2009, all computers, monitors and TVs must also have a visible brand label permanently affixed to the product. Both current and former manufacturers that fail to comply with Oregon E-Cycles requirements may be subject to penalties.
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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