Washington state e-waste bill to be signed into law today

March 24 -- Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is scheduled to sign the nation´s fourth electronic waste bill into law today.

Senate Bill 6428 easily passed in the state House and Senate. It would require manufacturers to finance the collection, transportation and recycling of old computers, monitors and televisions.

The bill creates the Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority to develop and implement a statewide electronics collection and recycling program by Jan. 1, 2009. The program will be free for residents, small businesses, schools, small local governments and charities.

Manufacturers have a choice to implement their own recycling program or pay to participate in the centralized plan the authority will operate.

Gregoire is expected to sign the bill today at 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST).

"The Washington law is the crest of the wave in a sea of bills across the country," said Ted Smith, chairman of the national Computer TakeBack Campaign, which lobbied for the bill.

California, Maine and Maryland are the other three states that have enacted electronic waste legislation. A diverse group of stakeholders supported the bill, including computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., Seattle electronics recycler Total Reclaim Inc., mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Amazon.com.

But the Electronic Industries Alliance, a Washington trade group representing manufacturers, fears a patchwork of state laws will create confusion and additional costs. The EIA´s position is that a single federal electronics recycling system would be the most efficient and cost-effective.