Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week passed the nation’s first cell-phone recycling bill into law in the state of California.
Bill AB 2901, dubbed the Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004, makes it unlawful for retailers to sell cell phones in California without having in place a program for accepting and collecting used cell phones for reuse, recycling or proper disposal.
The bill also requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to post an estimated California recycling rate for cell phones on its Web site.
Retailers are required to have a recycling program in place by July 1, 2006, and the toxic substances control department must comply with posting recycling numbers by July 1, 2007.
Current California law requires the state’s Integrated Waste Management Board to administer state programs to recycle various materials, including electronic devices with display screens larger than 4 inches, under the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003.
The Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 was first introduced as a bill in February and passed both the State Assembly and Senate in August. In introducing the bill, assemblywoman Fran Pavley, co-author, said some 40,000 cell phones become obsolete every day in California.
Cell-phone recycling company ReCellular Inc. responded to the newly instated act saying it “stands fully equipped to help wireless retailers comply with the mandates.”
ReCellular, in partnership with charities and retailers, collects cell phones at drop-off locations and reconditions them for resale in developing markets or sends unusable components to partner companies for recycling. The company returns the majority of its proceeds to the sponsoring charity or company.
“As a company founded to improve environmental stewardship, ReCellular is excited to help implement California Bill 2901,” said Charles Newman, president of ReCellular. “We believe our business model can significantly reduce or even eliminate a retailer’s cost for administrating its cell-pone recycling program, making this process a win-win situation for everyone.”
ReCellular said its program meets all requirements of the new act and can be deployed with a retailer in 45 days.
