Counties across North Carolina could soon be required to cover the entire cost of recycling electronics. It's just one provision in the Regulatory Reform Act of 2015 that could create an unplanned hole in the budget for New Hanover County’s Department of Environmental Management.
The 58-page bill has passed the state Senate and is now in conference committee. The provision that worries New Hanover County Environmental Management Director Joe Suleyman repeals the requirement for electronics manufacturers to help pay the cost of recycling their TVs and computers.
"Let’s say if that bill were to go into law today, I would have to figure out, from our Department’s standpoint, we’re looking at a $275,000 annual hit to our budget that we would have to figure out how to address."
Senator Trudy Wade, who shepherded the bill through the Senate, told the News & Observer that companies pass those fees on to consumers, and the fees discourage computer companies from doing business in the state.
Whether the bill passes in its current form, it will still be illegal to dump electronics into North Carolina landfills.
----------------------------------------------------
To hear more on recycling and waste management issues locally, tune in for CoastLine on Saturday at 1 PM -- or follow this link:
http://whqr.org/post/coastline-recycling-and-solid-waste-management-new-hanover-brunswick-counties
