Riding the Green Wave

This morning’s first session at the CEA Washington Forum focused on electronics recycling – an interesting topic, but I’d guess not what a lot of the attendees are here for. The panel talked specifically about state recycling initiatives and the rather patchwork result of a state-by-state approach. A few interesting points from the discussion:

• Some states put the burden of recycling solely on manufacturers (much to the CEA’s dismay), and some spread the responsibility across manufacturers and retailers.
• Sometimes responsibility falls on the actual manufacturer and sometimes it’s on the brand company that uses a manufacturer’s products. Disney, for example, is responsible for recycling in some states because its brand is on electronics, even though the company doesn’t have anything to do with making those products.
• California has the most mature recycling program, yet its collection of recycled electronics in 2006 amounted to only 3.4 lbs per capita, much less than the theoretically available 10 lbs of recyclable electronics per capita.
• In a consumer survey, three out of four consumers had no idea how to recycle their electronic products, yet most of them would if they knew how to do so.

Want more info? We got a two-sided page of printed links for further research. Check out the E-Cycling Resource site and My Green Electronics. Also, here’s a shout out to EPEAT and the Green Electronics Council. I’ve got friends there, so check them out too. :)

Tomorrow: look for coverage on the afternoon DTV panel. Including sparks between CEA CEO Gary Shapiro and NCTA CEO Kyle Slarrow. Exciting!