Last spring, VPIRG successfully advocated for an e-waste law that requires manufacturers to pay for an electronics recycling program in Vermont, including free and convenient collection programs in every county across the state. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has drafted their plan and took public comment — including many from our VPIRG members — in December.
We encourage you to review the plan (see below) and thanks to all who provided comments to ANR. We’ll keep you posted on whether ANR adopts a plan with stringent environmental standards for the recycling of e-waste. The recycling standards named under the last draft are weak in four critical areas:
- Exportation of e-waste to developing countries
- Use of prison labor
- The incineration or land filling of e-waste
- Worker health and safety.