Colorado passes landfill ban, recycling for agencies

By Henry Leineweber, Resource Recycling

Beginning July 1 of next year, Coloradoans will be barred from landfilling electronics, thanks to Governor John Hickenlooper's recent signing of Senate Bill 133.

The bill prohibits the disposal of computers, peripherals, display devices, TVs or AV equipment in Colorado landfills, except in counties that do not have a permanent electronics collection program, or have fewer than two collection events per year. Counties must make a "good faith effort" to collect electronics before an exemption will be allowed, which will be valid for two years.

The bill also requires all state agencies in Colorado to implement recycling programs for their end-of-life electronics. SB 133 mandates that these recycling programs only use processors "certified to a national third-party certification standard," such as either R2 or e-Stewards, although this requirement does not apply to material destined for reuse.

Finally, the bill authorizes the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to develop and implement a public education campaign for electronics recycling and data security, although no additional resources will be allocated to the department toward this end.

To return to the E-Scrap News newsletter, click here