Big step forward in Big Apple’s e-cycling

United States – More than 260 000 tons of discarded electronics has been collected for recycling thanks to the New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act since 2011. This achievement was revealed in a new report published by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

‘Over the first six years of the programme, New York state has successfully diverted hundreds of millions of pounds of e-waste destined for landfills and combustion facilities to e-waste recyclers for reuse and recycling, helping conserve valuable natural resources,’ says the department’s commissioner Basil Seggos.

In the 2013-15 period, electronics manufacturers, consumers and the state’s recycling operators assisted in the recovery of approximately 300 million pounds of e-scrap – equivalent to a statewide collection rate of more than 5 pounds per capita, the report points out.

New York’s legislators have made available US$ 3 million in grant funding from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to boost e-cycling among its municipalities. Improvement of manufacturers’ e-waste acceptance schemes is hailed as an important mission for the department going forward.

Additionally, legislators will focus on product compliance, public awareness and the influx of cathode ray tube monitors.