Manufacturers must now accept e-waste in New York

GOSHEN — Manufacturers of covered electronic equipment are now required to accept electronic waste. Please see below for a complete list of items manufacturers are obligated to accept. This part of the New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act, which the governor signed into law last May, went into effect on Friday, April 1. In addition, manufacturers must ensure that all counties and all municipalities with populations of 10,000 or greater have at least one method of accepting e-waste. The Village of Kiryas Joel and the towns of Monroe, Warwick and Woodbury have populations exceeding 10,0000. The law aims to ensure that New Yorkers will be able to recycle their electronic waste in an environmentally responsible manner. Manufacturers must establish a convenient system for collecting, handling, recycling, or reusing electronic waste. The state considers the following acceptance methods “reasonably convenient:” 1. Mail or ship back return programs 2. Collections conducted through local governments or private parties 3. Fixed acceptance locations operated by the manufacturer 4. Agreements with local governments, retail stores, sales outlets and not-for-profit organizations that have agreed to provide collection facilities The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will oversee the program. A list of New York State registered covered electronic equipment manufacturers and their brands may be found online at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/regceemfrs.pdf. The list contains the registered manufacturer’s name, its department-issued registration number, a listing of the manufacturer’s registered brand names, and the manufacturer’s toll-free telephone number and public education Web site where a consumer can find out how to free and conveniently recycle covered electronic equipment. This list will be updated regularly to include newly registered manufacturers.

Electronic waste
Computers
Televisions (as well as cathode ray tubes)
Small-scale servers
Monitors
Electronic keyboards
Electronic mice or similar
pointing devices
VCRs
Digital video recorders
Portable digital music players
DVD players
Digital converter boxes
Cable or satellite receivers
Electronic or video game consoles
Computer peripherals**
Small electronic equipment**
Facsimile machines*
Document scanners*
Printers*
* Only those intended for use with a computer and weighing less than 100 pounds.
** Computer peripherals and small electronic equipment also include any cable, cord, or wiring permanently affixed to or incorporated into such product.