Long Beach Township has voiced its support, via a resolution adopted at its Dec. 5 board of commissioners meeting, of Senate Bill S981/Assembly Bill A2375, which seeks to amend facets of the New Jersey Electronic Waste Management Act that have allowed manufacturers of 鈥淐overed Electronic Devices鈥� 鈥� such as computers and televisions 鈥� to shirk their legal obligation to provide free and convenient collection. The state recycling community says counties and municipalities are burdened with expense and environmental impact due to the existing act.
鈥淢ost towns are in support as it would take the burden off of the municipalities and taxpayers to pay to recycle materials mandated by the state to be recycled,鈥� township Sustainability Coordinator Angela Andersen said of the legislation, which in the Senate is sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith (D-17th) and Sen. Christopher 鈥淜ip鈥� Bateman (R-16th), and in the Assembly by Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-27th).
The township does pick up mandated items 鈥� the CEDS 鈥� as Andersen explained. Drop-off isn鈥檛 permitted at the township public works yard, but the county accepts those materials at its facilities, including the Southern Recycling Center on Haywood Road in Manahawkin.
As Marie Kruzan, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, and Frank J. Brill, ANJR public affairs adviser, explained in a recent article, 鈥淓lectronic waste recycling in just a few years in New Jersey has gone from a highly successful and widespread program that processed worn-out televisions and computers to one where a growing number of e-waste collection sites are being abandoned.
鈥淚n 2011, New Jersey outlawed the disposal of worn-out televisions and computers in landfills and incinerators. Since then, tens of thousands of the consumer products have been safely recycled.
鈥淏ut those numbers are dropping steadily as product manufacturers 鈥� who are required by state law to provide for that recycling of electronic waste as a free and convenient service statewide 鈥� shirk their responsibilities.鈥�
To control costs, Kruzan and Brill say, manufacturers have reduced payments to their chosen recycling companies, which have contracts to pick up and process e-waste collected by municipalities and counties. 鈥淭he reductions are so steep that the recyclers are no longer able to provide the service for free, as the law requires,鈥� they noted. 鈥淚nstead, they are charging for pickups or limiting the service to certain geographic areas of the state, or shifting the cost of manpower, equipment, baling, shrink-wrapping and transportation to local and county governments. This cost cutting is really cost shifting 鈥� shifting the burden to municipal and county collection sites.鈥�
A number of the state鈥檚 counties and municipalities have dropped their recycling programs because of the new costs and service reductions, and illegal dumping of old TVs and electronics has increased in certain areas with suspended collections.
鈥淚t is difficult for the recycling community to understand how the companies that create products containing harmful materials like lead, mercury and cadmium can attempt to avoid their duty to provide for proper disposal of those products,鈥� said Dominick D鈥橝ltilio, ANJR president. 鈥淚t鈥檚 particularly galling when you read that they are realizing annual profits in the billions.鈥�
Numerous environmental organizations, the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, the Association of New Jersey Household Waste Coordinators, the New Jersey Association of Counties and the New Jersey League of Municipalities support the legislation, while various area manufacturers and business organizations are in opposition.
To read the full story, visit .