SWANA Supports Maryland’s Proposed Electronic Devices Recycling Program

SWANA submitted testimony and spoke at a hearing on Maryland State bills (SB0686 and HB0830) to establish a Covered Electronic Devices Recycling Program. SWANA spoke on the need to keep electronics out of household recycling and waste streams, with an emphasis on the importance of preventing fires created by lithium-ion batteries embedded in electronic devices.

In addition to providing more convenient options for consumers to properly recycle these items, the legislation would provide funding for collection sites to purchase heat spot and fire detection and suppression equipment. The testimony also spoke to the need to recycle electronics to recover valuable materials and to keep harmful chemicals out of landfills and waste to energy facilities.

This effort supports SWANA’s Strategic Plan, which has goals to support worker safety and become climate champions. Strategy 1.6, Identify and promote worker safety as an additional outcome of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), states: “To the extent that EPR policies and programs keep materials such as sharps, dangerous chemicals, and lithium batteries out of discard streams, they reduce frontline employee exposure to workplace injury and fires.”