Earlier this week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced legislation to increase the recycling of electronics and to reduce the use of hazardous materials in the products. The Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act comes at a time when electronics manufacturers, state and local governments, waste handlers, environmentalists, and consumers are all crying out for consistency in the handling of e-waste. Trying to juggle 50 different sets of regulations for e-waste only ends up hurting everyone and makes compliance costly and difficult. It also prevents the establishment of large-scale domestic markets to process and use this material.
What components should be included in this legislation for it to be successful and what will help it meet the needs of the waste and recycling industry?