Under a bill that has just cleared the state Senate, computer and TV manufacturers will no longer have to help to pay for the cost of recycling the products they sell in North Carolina. If this becomes law, electronics manufacturers won’t have to keep paying fees that help pay for local recycling programs. This means the cost of these programs, which exist statewide, will have to be paid for entirely by local governments.
This is wrong. If you manufacture a product that contains elements that pollute the air, earth and water then you should be responsible for helping with the cost to properly dispose of it. Especially since computer manufacturers use planned obsolescence as a way to keep people buying a new PC on average every two years. Local governments shouldn’t have to foot the whole bill to keep old electronics out of the landfills.
It’s so important that we properly recycle as many old electronic products as possible. If this becomes law, it will ensure that a much larger percentage of dangerous electronics get dumped into the landfill.