Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful urged lawmakers to take action to ensure that every state resident has access to convenient and affordable trash disposal and recycling as testimony to the Joint House-Senate Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee at a March 21 public hearing concerning the Covered Device Recycling Act (Act 108 of 2010).
The Covered Device Recycling Act (Act 108), enacted in 2010, prohibits the acceptance of "covered devices" such as televisions, computers, computer monitors and all peripherals, at all Pennsylvania solid waste facilities. This prohibits residents from putting them out at the curb for pickup. The law also stipulates that recyclers cannot charge a fee to offset the cost of proper disposal as costs for collection, transportation and recycling are to be borne by the manufacturer. A combination of these and other factors has created an imbalance of supply and demand causing many electronics collection programs to shut down, leaving a growing number of Pa. residents without access to recycling options for their outdated electronic consumer goods, particularly old televisions and monitors.
"People have resorted to dumping TVs and other electronic devices illegally on vacant lots, in wooded areas, and over riverbanks. We are finding piles of stripped televisions-carcasses of broken plastic and shards of leaded glass scattered in open fields and on dead-end streets." Reiter explains. "We know there is less illegal dumping in areas where there is universal access to waste and recycling collection, we know if residents cannot dispose of bulky items at the curb or at a convenient drop off center, public works crews and volunteers are more likely to see them dumped along the roads and over hillsides," stated Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Reiter explained the it is costing communities valuable resources and is polluting our environment. Remediation of illegal dumpsites costs $614/ton with the average community cleanup costing $2,947.
To help Pennsylvanians better understand Act 108, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has launched www.eWastePA.org, a consumer resource for electronics recycling in Pennsylvania. They can also visit the KPB website at www.keeppabeautiful.org.
The Covered Device Recycling Act (Act 108), enacted in 2010, prohibits the acceptance of "covered devices" such as televisions, computers, computer monitors and all peripherals, at all Pennsylvania solid waste facilities. This prohibits residents from putting them out at the curb for pickup. The law also stipulates that recyclers cannot charge a fee to offset the cost of proper disposal as costs for collection, transportation and recycling are to be borne by the manufacturer. A combination of these and other factors has created an imbalance of supply and demand causing many electronics collection programs to shut down, leaving a growing number of Pa. residents without access to recycling options for their outdated electronic consumer goods, particularly old televisions and monitors.
"People have resorted to dumping TVs and other electronic devices illegally on vacant lots, in wooded areas, and over riverbanks. We are finding piles of stripped televisions-carcasses of broken plastic and shards of leaded glass scattered in open fields and on dead-end streets." Reiter explains. "We know there is less illegal dumping in areas where there is universal access to waste and recycling collection, we know if residents cannot dispose of bulky items at the curb or at a convenient drop off center, public works crews and volunteers are more likely to see them dumped along the roads and over hillsides," stated Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Reiter explained the it is costing communities valuable resources and is polluting our environment. Remediation of illegal dumpsites costs $614/ton with the average community cleanup costing $2,947.
To help Pennsylvanians better understand Act 108, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has launched www.eWastePA.org, a consumer resource for electronics recycling in Pennsylvania. They can also visit the KPB website at www.keeppabeautiful.org.
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