The House approved an electronics-recycling bill Monday.
HB153, sponsored by Rep. Becky Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, would require larger counties to comply with proper disposal of outdated televisions and computers.
It passed 47-26 and now goes to the Senate.
The measure would establish the Consumer Electronic Recycling Program within the state's Department of Environmental Quality.
Recyclers equipped to handle those hazard-laden items would register with the state. Drop-off points would be established for appropriate disposal of the toxic e-scrap.
A recycling fee already is built into the purchase of new electronic equipment, Edwards said, and 19 other states have programs in place to tap those fees.
But Utahns can toss their old equipment in trash cans or Dumpsters. Some deposit the items in vacant lots or by roads.
"You pay for recycling when you purchase the new item -- and then you pay the recycler," Edwards said of those who try to dispose responsibly.
If you like to pay twice, Edwards added, that's the way to go.
HB153 would cost an estimated $223,000 to start, a tab that would be borne by $3,000 registration fees for manufacturers.
Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, cautioned against the bill because of that appropriation, saying that a private-market solution already exists.
"Maybe there's a day and a process that might work," Hughes said. "But I don't believe this is the year or the bill."
Rep. Steve Mascaro, R-West Jordan, voiced strong support for HB153, saying that e-scrap in landfills is a growing and dangerous problem. The program, he said, would help keep contamination out of the groundwater and open fields.
