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  4. Mayor Bloomberg Vows to Veto City Council E-waste Law

Mayor Bloomberg Vows to Veto City Council E-waste Law

Date: February 15, 2008

Source: News Room

The Associated Press reports that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will veto a bill by the City Council that requires electronics manufacturers to be in charge of recycling their products, and he plans not to enforce such a law if the veto is overridden. The council's measure is in line with similar measures employed by a number of states to address the rising tide of electronics wastes, many of which contain toxic elements, entering the waste stream.

New York City disposes more than 25,000 tons of electronic waste each year. Bloomberg agrees that e-waste is an environmental concern but disagrees with the producer responsibility approach which he likens to the idea of requiring publishers to be responsible for whether their readers recycle newspapers. The recently passed law would require manufacturers to submit electronic waste recycling plans beginning this year, and to start collecting products in next year. They would have to demonstrate that they were collecting and recycling a certain portion of discarded electronics each year, equal to a percentage of their average annual sales, as measured by weight.

Manufacturers would have to demonstrate that they were collecting and recycling a certain portion of discarded electronics each year, equal to a percentage of their average annual sales, as measured by weight. Beginning in 2010, New Yorkers could face $100 fines for not recycling electronics.

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