Bills would require TV, computer recycling plan

PROVIDENCE – Two state legislators have submitted bills that would require manufacturers to pay for the collection and recycling of old TVs that will become obsolete when all television signals switch to digital in 2009.
Rep. Art Handy (D-Cranston) and Sen. Susan Sosnowski (D-South Kingstown) have introduced the Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act to require manufacturers to pay for the collection and recycling of old TVs and computers, according to a news release. The act is in response to a new FCC rule that will end the broadcast of analog signals and force viewers to own digital television sets. Consumers also have the option to purchase a converter for their televisions.
The FCC rule, which goes into effect February 2009, is complicated in Rhode Island by legislation passed in 2006 which bars computers and televisions from the state landfall starting in July 2008.
The act is supported by Clean Water Action, an environmental watchdog group, which worries that the discarding of television sets will create pollution. The group said the Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act will give the state an effective plan to dispose of that electronic waste. &#8226