LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- New legislation could soon add yet another step to your recycling regimen. With a hard push from state environmental officials, lawmakers will weigh in on new electronic recycling requirements.
Other states have already tackled this issue, banning electronic devices from landfills altogether. Now Today's THV got a sneak peak at this unfiled bill, and we're being told -- it's gaining much support from lawmakers.
"What's on plastic is ground into pellets and those pellets are reused for making new plastic."
It's one of the most un-recycled wastes around. Computers, cell phones and TV's are becoming the new rabbit in the garden for landfills.
"Some of the stuff that's in computers is considered to be hazardous, like lead and mercury and that's the stuff we're trying to keep out," says Johnny Varnadone of J&W Environmental.
Processors like Goldman Recycling say some fault lies with rapid technology.
"Two years into owning a monitor or a tower something new comes out and that's the gap that we're trying to fill right now," says John Boone of Goldman Recycling.
On a good week, J&W Environmental sifts through around fourteen tons of electronic devices at which time it is shipped to Texarkana to Federal Prison, broken down, recycled and sold for profit.
And according to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, with new legislation profits would only grow.
"This need is obviously going to be a big economic factor for them," says Cecillea Pond-Mayo, spokeswoman for ADEQ.
The push from ADEQ looks at requiring the manufacturer to offer a system to return the electronic products for proper disposal and the recovery plan must be reasonably convenient for consumers here in Arkansas.
But seeing that the bill has yet to be filed and the electronics continue to pile up -- time isn't on the side of supporters.
Best Buy stores across the country accept your old electronics for recycling, but the ADEQ wants a state program for its residents.