http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-5582798.html Is a PC landfill tax inevitable? February 21, 2005, 4:00 AM PT By Declan McCullagh Rep. Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, delights in warning the public about what he calls the looming dangers of landfill-clogging electronic gadgetry. "Over 3,000 tons of electronics are discarded every day in our country," says Thompson, whose district includes the huge swath of coast stretching from Mendocino to the Oregon border. "Obsolete computers are taking up space in closets, warehouses and landfills, and each of these computers contains dangerous materials such as lead and chromium, which pose a significant risk to human health and the environment." Last month, Thompson and 21 other politicians introduced the National Computer Recycling Act, a proposal that would levy a national sales tax of $10 on each CRT or LCD computer monitor and nearly any other electronic device with a "central processing unit." Proceeds would be awarded to "individuals or organizations" in the form of recycling grants. The tax would apply to Internet and in-person purchases and cover new and used items, even ones sold at computer shows and flea markets. The Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for defining exactly what products would be subject to the levy (televisions, typewriters and calculators are expressly exempted, but BlackBerries, cell phones and iPods are not). But is Thompson's proposal necessary? Thompson's 3,000-ton figure sure sounds shocking--until you realize that it represents less than 1/10,000th of the more than 30 million tons of solid waste produced by the United States each day. That's according to the Environmental Protection Agency's own information, which also suggests the amount of e-waste entering landfills may be remaining constant year after year. The National Safety Council even estimates that the number of discarded computers will begin declining this year. [...remainder snipped...] _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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