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A new bill has been proposed in Texas where manufacturers would have to place a sticker on any computer or monitor they wanted to sell in the state, informing consumers that they may return the equipment to the vendor for recycling or reuse without paying an additional fee. House Bill 2714 passed votes in the state Senate and House of Representatives in May and awaits a signature from Texas Governor Rick Perry
In this format the environmental responsibility lies on the PC manufacturer instead of the consumer. Other states have been exploring the “market-driven” approach to recycling which impose taxes on consumers or fees on vendors in order to fund government programs that administer the recycling programs.
The Texas bill has also had it’s fair share of criticism since it focuses only on PCs and their peripherals, instead of covering a wider array of electronic equipment.
Which do you think is the better system, should the manufacturer maintain the responsibility to recycle or does the onus lie on the consumer?
Personally, I think it’s a redundant question because the consumer will probably pay either way, It’s just a question of whether we pony up on the front end or the back. The reason is, most manufacturers will probably offset the cost of recycling by increasing their price point, hence costing the consumer either way. Which, leads me to my next point, that structure would give certain manufactures a distinct pricing advantage over their competitors simply because of their geographic location.
I think it behooves our government to address this legislations at the national lever and not the state, to ensure consistent standards and kept and all organizations are affected equally.
Taken from PC World
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By Joshua Levitt
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