Bob Schall: Removing protections

Regarding the June 14 news article “Electronics recycling program to end in bill clearing Senate”: The General Assembly recently proposed House Bill 169 and the Senate version includes a repeal of the ban on disposing televisions, computers and other electronic items in landfills. It also eliminates a small amount of industry funding for recycling this equipment.

This ban, which was enacted in July 2011, protects us from dangerous chemicals leaking into our water supplies. Since the ban was enacted, metals and plastics in those electronic devices have been recycled back into use. As a result, local governments have created effective collection programs, and private-processing businesses have invested $65 million to collect and recycle these items, creating an industry that supports an estimated 600 jobs.

One version of HB169 would remove this ban, allowing these electronic wastes to be disposed of less safely, endangering our water and the jobs of the workers in this industry. This new bill should be stopped. The ban has proven to be an effective means for protecting us from toxic wastes, while providing tangible health and economic benefits to our states.

This story was originally published June 20, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Bob Schall: Removing protections."