Assembly Member Fran Pavley
State Capitol, Room 3120
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: (916) 319-2141

RE: AB 3001 Ewaste Recycling Act Expansion (Support)

Dear Assemblymember Pavley,

I support AB 3001, which will expand the state’s current Electronic Waste Recycling Act to include all personal computers that contain central processing units.

Effective Feb. 8, 2006, California consumers are prohibited from disposing in their trash of a wide array of consumer electronic products due to their toxicity. These products include computers, cell phones, all household batteries, fluorescent lamps, mercury thermostats, printers, VCRs, telephones, answering machines, radios, and microwaves. While the California Legislature has led the nation in establishing systems for recycling some of these toxic electronics, there remains little opportunity or incentive for recycling the vast majority of all other toxic electronics.

More than 500,000 tons of hazardous electronic devices are landfilled in California annually. California’s existing e-waste law is currently only applicable to televisions, computers, and other CRT-containing products, which is only about 44 percent of the overall electronics waste stream in California. By extending our current e-waste law to include all central processing units, we can attempt to eliminate upwards of 120,000 tons of hazardous e-waste from landfills every year.

The California Legislature must again take the lead in adopting policies for establishing a 'free and convenient' recycling system for all toxic electronics. AB 3001 will increase the scope of ‘bulky’ hazardous electronics covered for recycling under the state’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act (SB 20/50-Sher) by including all personal computers that contain central processing units.

As a constituent I support AB 3001 and urge all Assembly members to vote in favor of this bill when it is heard on the Assembly floor.  Thank you in advance for your assistance on this crucial issue.

Sincerely,

c.c.       Californians Against Waste (FAX) 916-443-3912