By U.S. Senator Jim Talent

Along with the ever-increasing pace of technology, there has been a growing pile of TVs and computers in basements, attics and junkyards. According to the EPA, U.S. households have an average of two to three unused computers and televisions in storage. Businesses are estimated to have even more. The reason is, many people simply do not know how to go about disposing or recycling them.

If this “e-waste” is not taking up space in homes and businesses, it is being thrown out along with the rest of our garbage. The danger of disposing of e-waste in landfills is many electronic components contain hazardous toxins such as lead and mercury. In fact, TVs and computer monitors can contain up to four to eight pounds of lead, which is not a good thing for the health of the environment or our communities. If unchecked, this waste can lead to contamination of the land, air and water.

The current difficulty and costs involved in disposing of e-waste has produced illegal dumping sites around the country, the largest of which was found in Rolla, Missouri. Someone was running an illegal computer recycling business and instead of properly disposing the waste, the man collected over 15,000 monitors and dumped them. This was one of the worst illegal dumping cases in Missouri, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up.

What Senator Wyden (D-Ore.) and I have proposed is a simple, incentive-based remedy to the growing e-waste problem. The legislation would give tax incentives to consumers and companies to dispose properly of their e-waste. Consumers would receive a $15 tax credit and anyone who collects no less than 5,000 TVs or computers in a given year would receive an $8 per unit tax credit. In order to get the credit, a person or company must submit their tax return with proof that the recycling was done by eligible recyclers.

Rather than mandating a national program or imposing a tax on e-waste, we are proposing tax incentives to help manufacturers and other businesses make more use of qualified recycling programs. Imposing punitive taxes would only result in added costs for consumers and the stifling of technological innovation.

The important thing about this new tax credit is that it’s completely voluntary. If people choose not to recycle their old TVs and computers, they don’t have to and there will be no penalty, which is where the law is now.

Though a few states have laws and some are in the works to address the problems of e-waste, a national plan makes sense, which is why I have included in the bill instructions for the EPA Administrator to study and make recommendations to Congress on the feasibility of a nationwide recycling program. Clearly, a national plan will also prevent consumers, businesses and environmental groups from grappling with as many as 50 different state laws. A nationwide program might also be the only option available to prevent states with lesser recycling laws from becoming a dumping ground for other states.

The ultimate goal of this legislation is to provide people and businesses with a good incentive to get rid of their e-waste in a safe and environmentally sound manner. A number of groups are supporting our legislation, including the Missouri Recycling Association, the National Recycling Coalition, the Environmental Technology Council, the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition, Hewlett Packard Corporation and Intel Corporation. I believe that with this e-waste legislation we can ensure the safety of the public and protect our environment through this common sense solution.

Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.) was elected to serve Missouri in the U.S. Senate in November 2002. Previously he served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1993-2001) and the Missouri House (1985-1992). He serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and as Co-Chair of the Senate Biofuels Caucus.