Heard about the e-waste recycling deadline? (Didn't think so)by By Marjie Lundstrom, Sacramento Bee
Beginning today, anyone with a used battery*, fluorescent light tube, old cell phone - the list goes on and on - can no longer toss the thing into the trash, bound for the landfill. (emphasis added)
...From now on, we Californians are responsible for laying to rest our kids' oh-so-last-year iPods, light-up sneakers and singing greeting cards. We're in charge of funeral arrangements for that closet full of old oven cleaner, dead VCRs and iffy AA batteries.
Read the full story here.
*Yes, we’re talking about that AAA in your television remote control. And, under the law fines for violations can be as high as $25,000! Of course, "officials" say they won't be going door-to-door to enforce the law; their focus will be on small businesses. So, I guess that means you can all rest easy that the enviro police won't be shutting down your household, instead they'll be going after your job - what a comfort.
I suspect, once they realize that most people will not store household batteries, etc. until they have enough to justify a trip to the hazardous waste disposal center (located somewhere in their city or county), they will implement a curbside pickup procedure - a bonus to your local labor union!
The following legislators were authors of this law:
Senator Byron Sher (retired)
Senator Gloria Romero
Senator Sheila Kuehl
Senator Liz Figueroa
Assembly Member Hannah-Beth Jackson (retired)
Assembly Member Patty Berg
Assembly Member Judy Chu
Assembly Member Paul Koretz
Assembly Member John Laird
Assembly Member Mark Leno
Assembly Member Lloyd Levine
Assembly Member Sally Lieber
Assembly Member Fran Pavley
Assembly Member Lois Wolk
I have an idea. As you gather your AAA, AA, C, D and 9-volt batteries to take them to the city or county hazardous waste collection center (where you will be charged a fee); deliver them, instead, to the authors of this law. Heck, just to be an honest person, find out what the fee is and send it along (in pennies) so they won’t get stuck paying the tab.
2 comments:
someone should check the office trash cans of the legislators in question daily to see what their staff members do when the batteries in thier remotes and such need to be replaced.
Has the capitol custodial service determined a way of disposal for these items?
how about district offices, those should be checked as well.
Any non-compliance with this law by these legislators or state agencys should be highlighted. The Dem's hipocracy continually irks me.
We are encouraged to use fluorescent bulbs in our lights to conserve energy and then we waste gas driving to a place where we can dispose of them. They should have made disposal of these items more convenient before they passed this law.
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