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Text of Michigan e-waste legislation, effective December 29, 2008.

Public Act 95-0959 became the law of the State of Illinois in September 2008. The law establishes a statewide system for recycling and/or reusing computers, monitors, televisions, and printers discarded from residences by requiring electronic manufacturers and retailers to participate in the management of discarded and unwanted electronic products.

Attero Recycling was born in February 2008. Even before setting up the plant and starting operations, they managed to raise $6.3 million from VC firms NEA-IndoUS Venture and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. Through the incorporation of more user-friendly power management features, we could save approximately 11 billion kWh of electricity per year, cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion per year, and avoid emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO2 each year. In this November 2008 issue paper, NRDC provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines yet to hit the shelves.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) have filed a lawsuit challenging New York City Local Laws 13 and 21 of 2008 and the implementing regulation, created by the City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) (Door to door collection of electronics by the manufacturers)

Industry groups filed a lawsuit on Friday to block New York City's new electronics recycling law from taking effect next Friday. The law, passed in March 2008 by the City Council and finalized in regulations that the Department of Sanitation issued in April, requires manufacturers to take back their electronics, and provide pick-up service for items weighing 15 pounds or more. Starting in 2010, consumers will face a $100 fine for throwing old computers, televisions and other gadgets into the trash. Manufacturers who fail to recycle merchandise returned to them could be fined for each violation. The lawsuit, which was jointly filed by the Consumer Electronics Association and the Information Technology Industry Council in United States District Court in Manhattan, challenges numerous aspects of the law and regulations. The suit argues, among other things, that the law would improperly affect products made before the law took effect, that the pick-up requirement would be overly burdensome, and that the law would force companies to collect products that they may not have made. The suit also raises constitutional issues, asserting that the City Council's action amounts to an illegal effort to regulate interstate commerce.

The emerging category of "green" electronics has captured consumers' attention in the past year. They are beginning to understand the various environmental and health impacts of the plethora of devices they interact with on a daily basis, according to research from the Natural Marketing Institute. Consumers are most anxious that their devices are difficult to recycle, but their concern differs by device, with almost 60 percent of consumers concerned that televisions are difficult to recycle, and only slightly over 40 percent of consumers stating that phones are difficult to recycle, according to the 2008 LOHAS Consumer Trends Database.

From Environmental Leader, 7/6/09. Highlights of IBM's 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report. Includes link to PDF of the report.

September 2008-Harmful U.S. Exports Flow Virtually Unrestricted Because of Minimal EPA Enforcement and Narrow Regulation

August 2008- EPA Needs to Better Control Harmful U.S. Exports through Stronger Enforcement and More Comprehensive Regulation

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One of the thorniest problems with Green IT is what to do with all the computers, monitors, hardware, and other electronics your company no longer needs. You may think that you've solved the problem by choosing a responsible recycler or asset management firm. But according to a recent 60 Minutes segment, that e-waste may end up in unregulated toxic waste dumps in China that foul the land, water, and air, cause cancers and miscarriages, and endanger children. Includes video of a 60 minutes segment following the illegal trail of e-waste from a recycler in Colorado to China. Article by Preston Gralla, Greener Computing, 11/19/08.

Text of e-waste legislation signed by mayor of New York City 4/1/08. New York City is the first municipality to pass an e-waste recycling bill; the law requires manufacturers of certain electronic equipment to create a collection program for any person in the City who wants to properly discard of their electronics. The bill also bans e-waste from disposal into the City's solid waste stream. Devices covered include: CPUs, computer monitors, computer accessories including keyboards and mice, laptop computers, TVs, printers, and portable music players.

Summary of House Bills 6714-6715 and Senate Bills 896-897 as reported by house committee, 12/3/08. "In general, this package of bill would add a new Part 173 (Electronics) to the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to require manufacturers and recyclers of covered electronic devices (covered computers and covered video display devices) to register annually with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), pay annual registration fees to a new Electronic Recycling Fund, and to require manufacturers to operate takeback programs for covered devices used by individuals and small businesses. The bills are tie-barred to one another, meaning all must be enacted for any to go into effect."