Mar 15 - Massachusetts E-Waste Bill Keeps Moving
Clean Water Action sent out a media release reporting Massachusetts’ comprehensive e-waste bill has passed through all House Committees and will most likely pass to Governor’s desk without many dissenters. Representative Mark Carron has been the leader in getting e-waste issue addressed for a couple years, and his bill H3238 now has broad support throughout the state Legislature.
Boston--Monday (3/13), a Bill that would relieve cities and towns of the costs of recycling discarded computers and electronics passed favorably through the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, and is now on track to pass by the end of the legislative session. The legislation calls on manufacturers, or “producers,” to pick up the tab for recycling toxic “e-waste,” which has been flooding municipal recycling programs and imposing a high cost on fiscally strapped cities and towns. The Bill received a favorable report without any dissenters.
“It’s about time that we are seeing significant movement on this Bill,” said Rep. Mark Carron (D-Southbridge), lead sponsor of the legislation. “The time is right for the legislature to take action and pass this strong Producer Take Back Bill this session,” he continued. “We have 163 cities and towns in our state who have endorsed this bill, because they currently are diverting tax money from things like education and crime prevention to pay for e-waste recycling. We need the companies to do the right thing and get involved in solving this problem.”