Without this act, old thermostats would end up in landfills where toxic mercury would be released into soil and groundwater.   The legislation works with manufacturers to deal with the end life of their products, reduce waste and protect public health.

As ELPC Policy Advocate Mel Nickerson told the Illinois Times, “This is a common sense approach to keep toxins out of our soil and water. It’s a bill that environmentalists, manufacturers and the entire General Assembly could agree on.”

Read the full article here.

“The good news is that consumers are taking environmental performance into account when making buying decisions,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center, which is starting to look at which wireless service providers might be truly green. “But if people pay good green dollars to get green performance, the environmental results should justify the investment.”

Read the full article.

“This is a common sense approach to keep toxins out of our soil and water,” said Melville Nickerson, Policy Advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a group that helped to draft the bill. “It’s a bill that environmentalists, manufacturers and the entire General Assembly could agree on.”

“We know the dangers that mercury poses to public health, especially for mothers and young children,” Said Representative Karen May, the bill’s House sponsor. “This bill makes Illinois a healthier place to live.”

“We’re working with manufacturers to keep our land and water safe and conserve our resources for future generations,” said Senator Heather Steans, Senate Sponsor of SB 3346. “This is a policy that Illinois should be proud of.”

“Illinois has passed a significant piece of legislation that holds manufacturers accountable for reducing the environmental impacts of their products,” said Scott Cassel, Executive Director of the Product Stewardship Institute. “Product stewardship laws like these are sweeping the country, and Illinois is a national leader.

The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act requires thermostat manufacturers to establish an out-of-service mercury thermostat collection program and to meet ambitious goals to collect and safely dispose of unwanted mercury thermostats. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) will monitor the collection programs.

The bill adopts the recommendations of a report Turning Up the Heat on Thermostats written by the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Mercury Products Campaign.

Illinois’ Mercury Thermostat Collection Act is based on model state legislation developed by the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) with input from thermostat manufacturers, heating and cooling contractors and wholesalers, retailers, environmental groups, and government officials. PSI’s model shares responsibility for safe thermostat recycling among all these groups and provides a menu of options from which states can choose. Illinois is the eighth state to pass legislation based on the model.

Wisconsin’s e-waste bill ensures that dangerous electronic products are recycled, rather than tossed into landfills where valuable components are wasted and toxic chemicals contaminate our soil and water.  Through meetings with legislators, op-eds and letters and calls from our supporters in Wisconsin, ELPC helped pass this important legislation that will protect public health and create jobs in Wisconsin.

Read coverage here

ELPC helped create Illinois’ e-waste recycling bill and advised on policy and built support for Wisconsin’s legislation.

“Electronic waste is the fastest growing toxic segment of the solid waste stream, and this Wisconsin legislation is part of the solution,” said ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner. “This legislation helps solve our e-waste problems, creates jobs and makes recycling easier for residents. It’s a win-win-win for Wisconsin.”

Read ELPC’s press release here

The answer is an effective recycling program that can safely dispose of electronic products, conserve resources and create jobs. Wisconsin is considering an electronic products recycling bill, similar to the bill ELPC sponsored in Illinois, that will do just that.

In total, 19 states have adopted electronics recycling legislation. Andy wrote “our representatives should vote to protect the public health and create new jobs” by passing a bill that will help Wisconsin recycle electronics.

Read the op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin residents, contact your representatives and ask them to vote for the bill

A new website, eWasteCalendar.com, collects information about electronic waste recycling opportunities nationwide so users will be able to find a easy, safe way to dispose of e-waste and share info about recycling events.   

eWasteCalendar.com will be important as e-waste recycling legislation takes effect in Illinois and other states and the number of recycling options increases.

This conversion could prompt millions of Americans to dispose of older television sets. Each television contains large amounts of toxins such as lead and mercury that can end up in our soil and groundwater if televisions aren’t recycled.

ELPC helped to spread the word about the importance of recycling televisions and other e-waste through an interview on Chicago Public Radio and a segment on NBC 5.

ELPC worked with the state of Illinois to enact one of the toughest e-waste recycling and reuse laws in the nation. When Illinois’ e-waste recycling law takes effect January 1, 2010, manufacturers will begin creating more options for consumers to recycle electronics at no cost.

Here are some important facts about the digital tv conversion:

1. If you use cable or satellite TV, you don’t need to change anything.

2. You don’t need to dispose of older analog TV’s, but you’ll need a digital tv converter box to recieve broadcasts. Find out how to get a converter box at www.dtv.gov

3. If you decide to replace your television, please take it to a responsible recycler. You can locate a recycler near you at this website. A list of TV recycling options in the City of Chicago is available here.

Mr. Nickerson will be featured in “Green Revolution” – an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry that explores green technology and innovation and features African American leaders in the green movement. The exhibit is open through March 1, 2009.

More on e-waste recycling here

More on Green Revolution here

“E-waste recycling will be easy for people, create new jobs for our state’s economy, and reduce toxic pollution of our environment. It’s a real win-win-win for Illinois,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, which helped draft the legislation. “Illinois is now a national leader in solving the problem of e-waste, the fastest growing element of our country’s solid waste stream.”

ELPC Video

ELPC Advocate Mel Nickerson discusses the e-waste bill’s benefits to Illinois.