Campaigns in the U.S.

Electronics

In response to growing pressure from consumers and some regulators dealing with increasing levels of electronic waste, many electronic manufacturers, such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Best Buy have all initiated limited electronic take back programs. Most of these programs charge the consumer a fee when the used electronic product is brought to the collection site. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is working with a coalition of groups on a Computer Take Back Campaign to implement EPR for e-waste. Visit www.computertakeback.com for more information.

Automobiles

The State of Maine recently enacted a precedent setting EPR bill that will hold automakers accountable for take-back of mercury switches when vehicles are disposed of at the end-of-life. As of 1993 Sweden banned the use of mercury switches in vehicles, which influenced the entire European market. Despite the availability of copper-based alternatives, U.S. automakers continued to use the switches through 2002 car models. The Maine legislation, although only focused on switches, will encourage auto designers to phase out the use of hazardous substances whenever possible.

The Clean Car Campaign (CCC) is campaigning for EPR for automakers both for mercury phase-out and collection, as well as for manufacturer take back for the entire vehicle. CCC is also working to establish standards for sustainable design practices whereby highly hazardous materials would be phased out of the vehicle, and reusability and recyclability would be increased. Visit www.cleancarcampaign.org for more information.

Mercury Products

Due to widescale mercury contamination, EPR legislation is pending or has been introduced in many of the northeastern states in the U.S. Legislators believe that manufacturers of mercury-containing products should be responsible for collection and safe disposal of the products at the end-of-life. In addition to producer take back programs; legislators have also mandated that mercury be phased out of products over a certain period of time. For the most updated information on the status of the mercury EPR bills in New England, visit the Mercury Policy Project’s website: www.mercurypolicy.org

Beverage Containers

The Grassroots Recycling Network is working to implement strong EPR legislation for beverage containers. Visit www.grrn.org / beverage / index.html for more information.