What is the electronic waste recycling act?
Electronic waste, or e-waste, results from harmful chemicals used to manufacture consumer electronics. There are currently no federal regulations regarding e-waste, but some states have adopted their own regulations, mostly aimed at manufacturers.Harmful ChemicalsElectronic waste legislation aims to prevent chemicals like lead, cadmium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants, which are harmful to human health when leached into the water supply or burned in the atmosphere.States with LegislationTwenty U.S. states currently have e-waste legislation in place: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as the municipality of New York City.How the Laws WorkPrograms vary from state to state, but most laws implement fees to manufacturers which go to government programs that recycle consumer electronic devices,
