UNITED STATES July 16 2016 6:03 PM     

NEW YORK(Scrap Register): Minnesota made significant changes  to its e-scrap program. However, its neighbor Wisconsin failed to pass major  updates. Those are just two notes in our look at six action-packed months in  state-level policy.

E-Scrap News followed e-scrap-related legislation  from more than half a dozen states during the first half of 2016. No states  without e-scrap programs have come close to starting new ones, but several  states with existing programs have pursued significant changes. Some efforts  triggered major political battles.

The following is a roundup of some of  the significant industry-related bills that have made their way into state  legislatures so far this year.

Illinois
A bill  preventing accreditation standards R2 and e-Stewards from penalizing certified  companies for sending CRT glass to landfill storage cells has stalled, perhaps  indefinitely.

Passed unanimously by the House of Representatives, HB 6321  failed to progress in the Senate after the leaders of the R2 and e-Stewards  programs hired a lobbyist and launched a campaign to fight it.

R2 does  not allow its members to use the landfill storage approach, and e-Stewards only  permits the activity as a "conditionally allowable  option."

Minnesota
North Star State legislators made  changes to the state's e-scrap program.

A bill passed unanimously by the  House and Senate and signed by the governor reclassifies certain high-value  devices, including laptops and tablets, and sets initial annual collection  targets for brands to meet.

The bill also requires electronics  manufacturers to work with recycling firms holding third-party  certifications.

New Jersey
A bill previously vetoed  by Gov. Chris Christie was introduced again but hasn't made it to his desk a  second time.

S981 would change the way manufacturers' recycling  obligations are calculated. It would also add computer printers and fax machines  to the program.

Christie previously vetoed the legislation in Assembly  Bill 4763, and the Senate shortly thereafter reintroduced legislation as S981  and passed it. A House committee recommended approval but the full chamber has  yet to vote on it.

The legislative session is scheduled to last through  the end of the year.

North Carolina
An effort to  eliminate North Carolina's e-scrap program hit a stumbling block in the  legislature.

An earlier version of House Bill 169 would have removed the  program and landfill ban on specific electronics. On July 1, lawmakers sent to  the governor a dramatically slimmed-down version of the bill that leaves out  mention of the e-scrap program, thus keeping it alive.

Lawmakers could  still make changes or eliminate the program in another bill this  year.

Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania representative who  sponsored the state's original e-scrap recycling legislation has introduced a  bill making significant changes to the program.

House Bill 1900 would  create a supplementary program through which manufacturers would be charged with  paying all costs for e-scrap transportation and recycling. The bill has been  referred to a House committee.

A number of industry groups have  criticized the legislation, saying it fails to give manufacturers incentive to  fulfill their obligations and doesn't ensure a level playing field for  collection programs, scrap recycling companies, transporters and  consumers.

West Virginia
Mountain State leaders  passed a bill allowing for the landfilling of CRTs.

House Bill 4540 gives  counties permission to allow landfilling of glass in their jurisdictions if they  determine there isn't a cost-effective recycling alternative available. While  some counties signaled they'll allow landfilling, others say recycling is still  a viable and preferred option.

The House of Delegates voted to approve  the bill on Feb. 22 and the Senate voted in favor of it on March 7. Both were  unanimous votes in favor of passage. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed it on March  10.

Wisconsin
The Badger State's Senate failed to  pass a bill that would have made a host of changes to the e-scrap program,  including boosting manufacturers' obligations and ensuring they collect material  from rural areas.

A Senate committee voted to recommend approval in  February, but the bill never came up for a vote in front of the full chamber.  The legislature has adjourned for the year.

Source: Resource   Recycling