press releases
TCE/PRW, November 17, 2009 By TCE/PRW
Most Local Governments Leave Texans in the Dark on Producer Recycling Options
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Contact:
Jeffrey Jacoby, Program Director, Texas Campaign for the Environment (Dallas-Fort Worth and Statewide)
214.599.7840 (office), 817.729.2546 (cell)
Zac Trahan, Deputy Director, Public Research Works (Greater Houston and Statewide)
713.337.4192 (office), 713.295.9447 (cell)
Stacy Guidry, Program Assistant, Public Research Works (Austin and San Antonio)
512.326.5655 (office), 409.334.2227 (cell)
Most Local Governments Leave Texans in the Dark on Producer Recycling Options
Survey reveals need for state and local government education efforts
AUSTIN, TX – America Recycles Day has come and gone, but a report released by Texas environmentalists serves as a reality check on electronic waste recycling. According to a study conducted by Public Research Works (PRW) and Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) involving two hundred municipalities throughout the state, an overwhelming majority of cities in Texas fail to provide their residents with information about free manufacturer recycling programs for old computers, televisions, cell phones and other byproducts of the digital age.
“With electronic waste, ignorance is the antithesis of bliss,” said Jeffrey Jacoby, Program Director at TCE. “Electronic products are the fastest-growing segment of the waste stream and contain some of the most toxic substances that a household can toss out on the curb or dump in the garbage can.”
Click here for the full report!
In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law that requires computer manufacturers to provide consumers with free and convenient recycling for their obsolete products. This year, lawmakers passed legislation that would have added televisions to the computer recycling law, but Governor Rick Perry vetoed the bill. Despite this, several television manufacturers have set up voluntary recycling programs in major metropolitan areas along with Best Buy and Goodwill. Environmental advocates view these manufacturer-funded programs as a long-term, sustainable solution to the electronic waste, or e-waste, problem.
“It’s about more than just recycling,” said Zac Trahan, Deputy Director with PRW. “When companies rather than government bureaucrats are responsible for taking back their old products, they have to think about how efficiently they can recover those resources, the costs of handling toxic materials and their long-range profits, which gives them an economic incentive start designing their products for recycling instead of dumping. But this approach only works if the public is aware of the producer takeback law and programs.”
Overall, the report surveyed two hundred cities throughout the state representing a combined population of nearly sixteen million. The survey included calls to city staff and website analysis. The groups found that less than one in five local government entities mention free manufacturer takeback recycling programs, and even fewer mention the computer recycling legislation. As a result, cities and counties—and, of course, Texas taxpayers—continue to bear the burden for proper management of obsolete electronics, Trahan says. Survey data indicated almost half of all references to e-waste recycling options involved taxpayer-funded collection events or recycling centers.
“Right now, Texas taxpayers foot the bill for recycling computers that the law says manufacturers must take back,” Jacoby explained. “City and county governments need to start saving our tax dollars by referring people to free producer takeback programs.”
Over one in four city officials in the survey recommended disposing of electronic junk in landfills, potentially allowing toxins like lead, mercury and cadmium, among others, to leach into area water sources. Trahan sees this as a major problem.
“Toxic e-waste does not belong in Texas landfills,” Trahan says. “Government officials should do all they can to prevent people from dumping their old electronics, not encourage it.”
The report cites a lack of state funding for public education and Governor Perry’s veto as major reasons for keeping so many Texans in the dark about the manufacturer-funded recycling options.
“The state environmental agency received an unfunded mandate to educate Texans about the law, then Governor Perry recklessly vetoed legislation that would’ve helped with shared outreach efforts, so it’s not surprising that no one knows about it,” said Stacy Guidry, PRW Program Assistant. “If Texans know how and where to recycle toxic products, if it’s free and convenient, they will. It’s a matter of education.”
Nearly two-thirds of Texas municipalities in the survey did not provide residents with any information on e-waste recycling via their city website and over one in four municipal officials directed residents to landfill their electronics. About one in six officials were unaware of e-waste recycling options and didn’t tell the caller where they might find more information.
The Numbers
200 cities surveyed
15,691,781 total population represented by cities surveyed
167 city websites that did not mention free manufacturer takeback recycling options (83.5%)
161 cities in which staff did not mention free manufacturer takeback recycling options on calls (80.5%)
Click here for the full report!
For More Information
- For the complete analysis of the survey results, go to www.publicresearchworks.org.
- For a list of manufacturer computer recycling options, go to www.TexasRecyclesComputers.org.
- To find locations where a manufacturer has already set up free TV recycling in Texas, go to www.TexasTakeBack.org and click on the individual manufacturer links.
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