Since 2001there has been a flurry of activity at the state level on many levels, from voluntary programs to the passage of mandatory legislation. The mandatory programs have received the most attention primarily due to the contentious legislative battles that play out regarding who pays, and how much. Each of the 4 existing state-mandated programs in the U.S. is summarized below.
In 2003, California was the first state to enact a law creating a statewide program that is financed by an advanced recycling fee (ARF) of $6, $8, or $10 paid by the consumer at the point of sale on certain computer monitors, TVs, and laptop computers. The revenue generated by the ARF goes into a state fund that is then used to pay qualified collectors and recyclers for used products received from California businesses, households and institutions. The Maine program covers TVs, computer monitors and laptop computers under a law passed in 2004. However, under Maine’s approach, the funding for the system is the responsibility of product manufacturers once local governments have collected products from Maine households and delivered them to state-approved “consolidators.” These consolidators count the number of brands from each manufacturer, and then send each manufacturer a bill for the amount that their brands represent plus an additional amount for “orphan” products whose original manufacturer no longer exists and no successor can be found by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection
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