At 10am, this Monday morning, February 23, 2009, members of the Indiana House of Representatives will have the opportunity to vote in support of HB 1589. This legislation received unanimous support from the House Environmental Affairs committee two weeks ago, and the IRC believes HB 1589 has sufficient momentum such that a truly impactful law could be passed this year.
To keep the momentum going, we need your help now to ensure that 1589, authored by State Representative Mary Ann Sullivan, makes it out of the House on Monday!
Let your State Representative know that you support HB 1589, because you are concerned about the growing problem of electronic waste and the urgent need for more and better electronics recycling programs in Indiana.
The Problem: Currently, only a very small percentage of electronic waste in Indiana is being properly recycled.
- 1.2 million computers and TVs are discarded by Hoosiers annually.
- At least 4 pounds of lead is contained in each old computer monitor or television.
- There are at least 5 toxic materials found in today’s electronic devices.
- There are at least 8 serious health effects of these toxins.
HB 1589 will result in vastly improved electronics recycling infrastructure in Indiana by placing some responsibility on manufacturers of toxic electronic waste to establish electronics collection and recycling programs throughout Indiana.
In addition, this bill will help strengthen the electronics recycling infrastructure in Indiana, thus creating new green jobs.
Take Action Now:
- Please tell your State Representative that this bill is a win-win for Indiana’s environment and our economy.
- Email your legislators over the weekend or call their offices on Monday morning before 10am, to express your support for HB 1589.
- To confirm your State Legislative Representative, click here and type in your zipcode+four.
- Or email your legislator this weekend. You can find their email by clicking here.
To learn more about the IRC go to: indianarecycling.org.
Indiana Recycling Coalition
1500 N. Delaware Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:22 am
I along with many other recyclers, local retailers, manufacturers, enviromental organizations, education, government and more were asked to look at the issues around The Hazards in Electronics, Landfilling and incineration vs Reuse and Recycling. We were asked to look at the National and International conversations and see what might be best for all sectors of our society.
We took information from other State laws, looking for something that seems to be on the leading edge of what the manufacturers and retailers are willing to consider, along with waste haulers and recyclers.
The industry is young and needs to get past its early years, to do so we need the support of legislation to help ligitimize our industry, costs for handling and requests for financial assistance when needed. Grants and Loans will help build collections, education about the issues and opportunities, reuse programs and possibly build recycling systems.
My family has been recycling since 1912, always looking for reuse, be it the Basketball Goals, Swingsets, Flag poles, Bike Racks and other outdoor eq. made from used (scrap) steel or the Computers, printers and other IT eq. we have sold for the last 40+ years managing other companies old assets.
Indiana has given birth to many buisnesses that are outside the box, we need more of that and there are many ideas we know of and many more that with others help we can find ways to reuse whole system, their parts or the raw materials to make something else.
Please read the what you can find about eScrap/eWaste. If you agree please call your representatives on Monday to ask for their support.
if you are not in agreement, please help us understand why, and consider keeping an open ear for what you may not have heard that will help you understand what we are suggesting is important.
if you want to help us or others in the community working on these issues, please let us know, be it ideas, time, resources, or money. There are other for profit and many not for profit groups trying to find their place in all of this.
you can be sure that this has been discussed at length, we have some of the most educated people on these issues who have been working on or around the conversation for many years. The IRC has taken a huge lead with their work on the subject of eScrap. http://www.escrapindiana.org is one link to where you can find more information about them.
I want to thank the IRC, its staff, the eScrap work group and everyone else who has taken their precious time to work on this important legislation.
We thank you so much!
Eric Goldsmith, my family and employees.