Hawaii is About To Launch One of the Nation's Most Ambitious Tech Waste Recycling Programs (hawaiinewsnow.com) 5
Hawaii is implementing one of the most ambitious electronic waste recycling plans in the country, but some Hawaii retailers are afraid it will mean higher prices and less selection. From a report: Ironically, Hawaii has no ability to recycle electronic devices. Instead, the material has to be collected and shipped to processing centers elsewhere. The goal of the new law is to have manufacturers collect and ship out more and more of the used-up products. But industry lobbyist Walter Alcorn, with the Consumer Technology Association, said the law sets goals that cannot be met. "On the industry side, it's been a scramble." Alcorn said. "Particularly for the computer and printer manufacturers that previously did not have to have this type of a program."
State Rep. Nicole Lowen, chair of the Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, was among the lead advocates for the law. She said putting the full responsibility on the manufacturers will incentivize them to pay more attention to the waste their industry is generating. "We are pushing them to rethink the design packaging, distribution systems of their products and create more efficiency, for the reuse and recycling of those products or the materials that they contain," Lowen said. The law required 49 manufacturers, from Apple to Samsung, to report how much product has been shipped in by weight and how they would set up systems to collect discarded devices and ship them to recycling locations. There are none in Hawaii so all the products would have to be shipped out.
State Rep. Nicole Lowen, chair of the Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, was among the lead advocates for the law. She said putting the full responsibility on the manufacturers will incentivize them to pay more attention to the waste their industry is generating. "We are pushing them to rethink the design packaging, distribution systems of their products and create more efficiency, for the reuse and recycling of those products or the materials that they contain," Lowen said. The law required 49 manufacturers, from Apple to Samsung, to report how much product has been shipped in by weight and how they would set up systems to collect discarded devices and ship them to recycling locations. There are none in Hawaii so all the products would have to be shipped out.
Why not... (Score:2)
Paper and pens instead of computers, keyboards, etc.
Landline phones instead of cell phones.
Why advance into the 21st Century and discover 21st solutions when they can retreat to the 20th Centur
Re: (Score:2)
imo, getting rid of printers and making people rely on electronic copies on their devices would substantially reduce tech trash
Does it involve... (Score:2)
Volcanoes?
Wow! They are measuring by weight! (Score:2)
They have decided to use weight, like literal pounds and tons for incoming and outgoing products.
However even the article mentions, things are getting lighter If you recently replaced your TV, you'll see the new one weigh less, (or is larger). If you replace your "release date" gaming console with a "slim" one it will be lighter. If you replace your larger desktop computer with a mini-PC it will be extremely lightweight.
And it is not like all used stuff goes to waste. Will you throw away an older TV? Or giv
Re: (Score:2)
You are seriously behind the curve, here is some appropriate reading for you about what is actually occurring [nih.gov]