Low oil prices have unexpected side effects. The stock market gyrates. Venezeula runs out of toilet paper. And in Pennsylvania, it’s tough to get rid of that big old broken TV.
The market for recycled materials from electronics has collapsed in a period of cheap petroleum. But that’s just one reason old TVs have become so hard to dispose of. The Pennsylvania Resources Council is pushing for an amendment to the state’s Covered Device Recycling Act, which would adjust the financial incentives to make recycling pay. The amendment, or some other stopgap solution, is needed to discourage consumers from resorting to dangerous options for getting rid of TV sets.
The law, which took effect in 2013, outlawed the dumping of electronic waste in landfills — a welcome step, since toxins such as lead and worse foul the environment. Like some of the other 25 states with e-waste laws, Pennsylvania requires manufacturers to pay into a fund that reimburses the recycling operations.
The formula for payment, however, has not kept up with the rising cost of electronics recycling. In a previous economic climate, valuable commodities like copper and cadmium mined from computers and other devices would underwrite the high expense of safely dismantling cathode ray tube televisions. Not so today. Simply put, manufacturers need to be prepared to pay out more. They’ll probably build it into the cost of their products anyway.
More immediately, the law should be tweaked to allow entities like the PRC and retailers like Best Buy that participate in the manufacturer recycling fund to charge for accepting TVs. That will allow them to continue to offer convenient locations for accepting the sets.
Above all, consumers must resist the urge to throw up their hands in frustration and sneak pieces of a TV into the trash, or dump it in the woods. A cathode ray tube contains several pounds of lead. Hang on to it until it can be safely taken care of — and be willing to pay a small fee to a recycler. Cough up a few of the bucks you’ve been saving on gasoline.
First Published: February 29, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
