Jun 6 - IL - Electronic Recycling Act to Get an Overhaul

A bill to boost Illinois's existing e-waste recycling program has passed both the House and Senate, and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

SB 2106 (Garrett) will amend Illinois' existing Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act to add more covered electronic devices such as table computers, computer peripherals, and mobile devices. The measure requires manufacturers to recover 40% of market share by weight.  The bill also provides grants to counties and local governments to provide outreach about the program.

Illinois currently has one of the most underperforming e-waste recycling program in the nation. In 2010, the recycling program collected and recycled approximately 1.42 pounds of covered electronics per person, second only to Texas, which was 0.98 per capita.  Meanwhile, Minnesota and Oregon recycled 6.4 and 6.1 per capita respectively.