CLEARFIELD – Effective Oct. 31, the Electronics Recycling Program sponsored by the Clearfield County Solid Waste Authority and located at its recycling collection site at the jail will close.
This closure is due to circumstances that are complex and unfortunately out of the authority’s ability to control. It will also leave the authority without a contracted recycler to provide such services, said Jodi Brennan, CCSWA director.
“A few years ago, our state legislators passed and our then governor signed into law the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA), Act 108 of 2010, which requires manufacturers to provide recycling programs, at no cost to the public, for desktop computers, laptop computers, computer monitors, computer peripherals and televisions sold to consumers in Pennsylvania,” she said.
“The law also bans such devices from being disposed of in a landfill. Unfortunately, the law has failed to provide the recycling opportunities intended, and many counties are without legal outlets for such materials.”
Brennan added, “The problem is that manufacturers are not required to pay the actual costs of recycling the materials collected. Manufacturers make contracts with recyclers to recycle their share of electronics up to an amount set each year based on the weight of the new products they sell the previous year.
“However, their quotas are based off weight of what they are producing now, which are the lighter flat screen televisions and monitors, but the reality is that people are disposing of the old-style CRT televisions. The leaded glass in older CRT televisions in particular has been a problem, since they are heavier and both difficult and expensive to recycle.
“Since manufactures are no longer producing products with this type of glass, there is little demand, if any, for such glass. The combination of these factors has left many recyclers stuck with warehouses and trailers full of CRTs, thus, limiting their ability to provide recycling services.”
She said that the CCSWA would encourage residents to inform their local legislators of the need to correct the situation, which will result in increased illegal dumping.
“We also have available, upon request, a list of the manufacturers in Pennsylvania, which are required to provide free recycling, that we can provide to those interested in helping,” said Brennan.
“By calling these manufacturers to request that they provide a local recycling collection site in Clearfield County, it is hoped that a resolution will result.”
