Comments on: City Council Votes in Favor of Electronics Recycling http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/02/14/city-council-votes-in-favor-of-electronics-recycling/ Promoting sustainable living in our Brooklyn neighborhood. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:54:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/02/14/city-council-votes-in-favor-of-electronics-recycling/comment-page-1/#comment-2047 anne Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:42:35 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=306#comment-2047 i received this news by email today, from a participant in our recent neighborhood e-waste recycling event: -------------------- Bloomberg: NYC won't enforce electronics recycling law -------------------- By SARA KUGLER Associated Press Writer February 15 2008, 5:22 PM EST NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that he will veto the City Council's bill requiring electronics manufacturers to be in charge of recycling their products and would not enforce the law if his veto is overridden. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.amny.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--recyclingelectron0215feb15,0,501453.story hmmmm... the proposed law would go into effect in 2009, but from the article it looks like the manufacturer's quotas don't even begin until 2012. where does bloomberg expect to be after his last term as mayor? i received this news by email today, from a participant in our recent neighborhood e-waste recycling event:

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Bloomberg: NYC won’t enforce electronics recycling law
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By SARA KUGLER
Associated Press Writer

February 15 2008, 5:22 PM EST

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that he will veto the City Council’s bill requiring electronics manufacturers to be in charge of recycling their products and would not enforce the law if his veto is overridden.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.amny.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny–recyclingelectron0215feb15,0,501453.story

hmmmm… the proposed law would go into effect in 2009, but from the article it looks like the manufacturer’s quotas don’t even begin until 2012. where does bloomberg expect to be after his last term as mayor?

]]> By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/02/14/city-council-votes-in-favor-of-electronics-recycling/comment-page-1/#comment-2045 anne Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:43:50 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=306#comment-2045 For example, items that are currently "disposable" because it's cheaper to buy a new one than to repair the old one (printers, scanners, PDAs, iPods) would probably become much easier to fix and/or upgrade if Dell or Apple actually had to deal with the mountains of techno junk they put into the world... For example, items that are currently “disposable” because it’s cheaper to buy a new one than to repair the old one (printers, scanners, PDAs, iPods) would probably become much easier to fix and/or upgrade if Dell or Apple actually had to deal with the mountains of techno junk they put into the world…

]]> By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/02/14/city-council-votes-in-favor-of-electronics-recycling/comment-page-1/#comment-2044 anne Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:34:56 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=306#comment-2044 Hmmm... not sure I agree completely. While I do have firsthand experience with grassroots e-waste recycling efforts (as John G has witnessed), what strikes me each time I do one of these events is how much better it would be for the manufacturers to make a more responsible product from the beginning. I agree that consumers should share the responsibility for proper disposal of what we buy, but even the best we can do at this point is still just "less bad". There is no option to buy products that truly "do no harm", because the industry is not designing them. Why? Because under current conditions their accountability ends at the warehouse door. The only way to change product design is to force tech companies (and ALL companies, really) to deal with the end-of-life ramifications of their products. Hmmm… not sure I agree completely.

While I do have firsthand experience with grassroots e-waste recycling efforts (as John G has witnessed), what strikes me each time I do one of these events is how much better it would be for the manufacturers to make a more responsible product from the beginning. I agree that consumers should share the responsibility for proper disposal of what we buy, but even the best we can do at this point is still just “less bad”. There is no option to buy products that truly “do no harm”, because the industry is not designing them. Why? Because under current conditions their accountability ends at the warehouse door.

The only way to change product design is to force tech companies (and ALL companies, really) to deal with the end-of-life ramifications of their products.

]]> By: John G- http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/02/14/city-council-votes-in-favor-of-electronics-recycling/comment-page-1/#comment-2041 John G- Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:45:46 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=306#comment-2041 Our, liberal in republicans clothing, Mayor is right to veto this measure. Ms. Quinn put this up to be defeated. She gets to say “Whoopee we’re Green!” BS!! As Sustainable Flatbush knows recycling electronics takes grassroots efforts. Saying electronics companies have to recycle products they sell is like saying Pampers has to take back used diapers. We buy these products it is up to us to dispose of them responsibly. We have to take responsibility for our purchases. Our, liberal in republicans clothing, Mayor is right to veto this measure.
Ms. Quinn put this up to be defeated. She gets to say “Whoopee we’re Green!” BS!!
As Sustainable Flatbush knows recycling electronics takes grassroots efforts.
Saying electronics companies have to recycle products they sell is like saying Pampers has to take back used diapers.
We buy these products it is up to us to dispose of them responsibly.
We have to take responsibility for our purchases.

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