Consolidators & Recyclers Guide to Maine’s Television and Computer Monitor Recycling Law

Shared Responsibility for Recycling

In the Spring of 2004, Maine passed a new law An Act to Protect the Public Health and the Environment by Providing for a System of Shared Responsibility for the Safe Collection and Recycling of Electronic Waste, (38 MRSA §1610). This law established a system for the recycling of waste televisions and computer monitors generated by households in Maine. Municipalities, consolidators, recyclers, manufacturers and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) all have responsibilities under this law. A complete copy of the law can be obtained at www.Maine.gov/dep/rwm/solidwaste/index.htm or by calling 207-287-2651.

Products covered by this law

Products covered (“covered electronic devices”) are wastes generated by households in Maine, including:

Computer central processing units
Computer monitors (including laptops) and televisions (including portable DVD players) with cathode ray tubes and flat panel displays greater than four inches (4”) measured diagonally and that contain one or more circuit boards.

Products with cathode ray tubes or flat panel displays that are not subject to the law include:

an automobile, a household appliance, a large piece of commercial or industrial equipment, such as commercial medical equipment, in which the cathode ray tube or flat panel display is contained within and not separate from the larger piece of equipment.

Annual Consolidator approval by Maine DEP

Maine DEP accepts applications from businesses seeking to become an approved consolidator until October 1 of each year for the next calendar year. A copy of the most recent application form is available at www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/ewaste. Approval is based on technical ability, financial capacity, and competitive costs.

Municipalities’ responsibilities for collection

Maine’s municipalities are responsible for providing their residents with a convenient system for collecting waste household computer monitors and televisions, and for arranging pick up by consolidators approved by Maine DEP to bill recycling costs to the manufacturers. Collection can be accomplished by an annual one-day collection, an on-going collection at a solid waste or recycling facility, or a contract with a local consolidation facility to allow residents to deliver their wastes directly to the facility. To ensure that manufacturers are charged only the cost of recycling household computer monitors, municipalities must clearly identify which televisions and computer monitors they’ve collected were generated by households.

Manufacturers are responsible for paying the consolidators’ costs of handling and recycling the household televisions and monitors, plus at least some of the transportation costs. If the collection site accumulates more than 16,000 pounds of household e-waste, the municipalities are not responsible for any transportation costs. (Municipalities may contract with a consolidator for additional Universal Waste management services, and may incur transportation and management costs for these additional materials.)

Consolidator responsibilities for waste computer monitors and televisions

Consolidators have five basic responsibilities under this law:

Annually apply to Maine DEP for approval to participate in the household television and computer monitor recycling system.
Identify the manufacturer of each waste household television and computer monitor and maintain an accounting of each unit weight by brand and manufacturer (this accounting should separate televisions from computer monitors even if they were produced by the same manufacturer). Consolidators may contract with their recycling facilities to perform this accounting and provide the required information to them.
Semi-annually provide the Maine DEP with this accounting of televisions and computer monitors by manufacturer.
Manage the household televisions and computer monitors in accordance with Maine DEP Chapter 415, Reasonable Costs for the Handling and Recycling of Electronic Wastes, and each manufacturer’s brands in accordance with their selected handling option (Maine DEP provides consolidators with the brand and manufacturer information needed to do this). At a minimum, consolidators must invoice the manufacturers for its reasonable operational costs associated with the handling, transportation, and recycling costs of the units for which each manufacturer is responsible.
Consolidators may only ship waste televisions and computer monitors to dismantlers and recyclers that provide the consolidator with a sworn certification that its handling, processing, refurbishment, and recycling meet Maine’s Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of Televisions and Computer Monitors. Consolidators must maintain a copy of the sworn certification from each recycler for a minimum of 3 years, and provide that certification to the Maine DEP as part of its annual application for approval and upon request.

Dismantling/Recycling facility responsibilities

Dismantlers and recycling facilities must manage household televisions and computer monitors received under this program in accordance with the environmentally sound management guidelines published by the Maine DEP. They must also provide consolidators with a sworn certification that their handling, processing, refurbishment, and recycling processes meet these guidelines.

Where to direct all submittals and questions

All submittals required by this law should be submitted to:
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Remediation & Waste Management, E-waste Program
17 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333

            MEDEP staff contact for this program is:
                        Carole Cifrino, Environmental Specialist IV
                        Division of Solid Waste Management
                        Bureau of Remediation & Waste Management
                        Phone: 207-287-7720 or 207-287-2651      Fax: 207-287-7826
                        E-mail: carole.a.cifrino@Maine.gov

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