Maine cell-phone recycling law kicks in Jan. 1
Glenn Adams
AUGUSTA, Maine � Mainers who've been tossing their old cell phones in the trash or slipping them into desk drawers to be forgotten will have a new alternative as of the new year: A state law will require retailers to collect used cellular telephones at no charge for recycling.
The same law also forbids owners from disposing of old phones in the trash.
The law is aimed at protecting the environment and public health. Cell phones contain toxic chemicals such as arsenic, lead, zinc and other substances that pose health risks if not properly disposed of or recycled.
Maine becomes the third state after California and New York to enact a law like this, its sponsor, Rep. Christopher Babbidge, said Thursday. In Maine, retailers must accept used phones that had been sold by other companies, the Kennebunk Democrat said.
"I'm very optimistic about it," said Babbidge. "We wanted to make sure that anybody who makes a profit from distributing (cell phones) would also be responsible for taking them back."
Maine's law was enacted earlier this year after the idea was shelved during the previous legislative session so it could be studied in more depth. Some companies that market mobile phones had already moved ahead on their own with recycling programs in Maine and elsewhere.
Since 2001, Verizon's had a recycling program in place in Maine and other states, said Mike Murphy, spokesman for Verizon Wireless-New England. Murphy said the program has kept an estimated 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills and into recycling programs since then.
In Maine, 10 Verizon stores have recycling bins where consumers can drop off their own phones.
Verizon and several other companies have contracted with the Michigan-based ReCellular, which collects and processes about 400,000 phones per month in Maine and elsewhere, said company Vice President Mike Newman.
As of June 2006, Maine had about 870,000 wireless phone subscribers, according to Public Utilities Commission figures. ReCellular estimates that two-thirds of wireless users upgrade every year nationally. In Maine, that would be about 582,900 upgrades.
But ReCellular also estimates that no more than 10 percent of those cell-phone users recycle their old sets. In Maine, that would mean that 524,610 cell phones are not being turned in for recycling and winding up in the trash or somewhere else.
"Prior to coming to Verizon, I had two in my desk drawer and one in my junk drawer," said Murphy.
While the recycling law will not introduce a new concept in Maine as of Tuesday, it will serve a couple of purposes, said Newman. It will educate consumers about cell-phone recycling while reminding store employees to encourage their customers to recycle.
The new law may also highlight a charitable aspect of the new law, Murphy said. Through its recycling effort, Verizon makes wireless phones with preapproved minutes available to organizations that help domestic violence victims, said Murphy. ReCellular's Newman also noted that many of the recycled phones are going to users in undeveloped countries.
"There are hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable donations sitting in Americans' drawers collecting dust," Newman said.
In addition to requiring cell-phone collections, the new law requires cellular companies to report to the state Department of Environmental Protection the number of phones collected for five years and what is done with them.
Maine has been a national leader in passing laws to recycle other electronic waste. In 2004, it became the first state to hold manufacturers responsible for collecting and recycling obsolete computer monitors and televisions.
Lawmakers have taken steps to phase out "deca" forms of flame retardants in furniture and plastic-covered consumer products. As of New Year's Day, the law will ban polybrominated diphenyl ethers in mattresses and upholstered furniture. By 2010, they'll be banned in TVs, computers and other plastic-cased home electronics.
Those and other laws are among those taking effect New Year's Day in Maine and 30 other states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. New Hampshire has a civil unions law for same sex couples. Illinois will bar smoking in public places, and California will outlaw smoking in a car when a minor is present, the NCSL said.
Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management: www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/recycle/cellphones.htm