On July 31, 2009, a new law will go into effect in New York City that will require manufacturers to provide free, door-to-door electronics collection to city residents. It is New York City’s way of attempting to keep hazardous items, such as e-waste, out of landfills.
Yet, per usual, no law can ever be introduced without some backlash. Two main critics include the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC); they have decided to sue to city. They claim that this law will only put unnecessary trucks into neighborhoods, leading to pollution and congestion.
Other reasons behind their law suit are that NYC is asking manufacturers to pay for the pick-up and disposal of the items, even items they did not produce, and to do it free of charge to the consumer. Furthermore, they must track and report all of their sales and recycling amounts.
Many people feel that this is just one extreme method to have manufacturers assume more responsibility for their products and that this is a poor way to do complete the task. Others feel that this is a great interaction between the government, consumers, and manufacturers because the government is finally delivering justice to consumers by forcing manufacturers to be responsible for the products they produce.
What are your thoughts: do you think this is the most effective way to achieve the goal of encouraging e-waste recycling?
