SALEM—Just days
after passing landmark environmental bills to increase Oregon’s
use of renewable energy and to update Oregon’s
bottle recycling systems, the Oregon
passed two more environmental bills Tuesday morning. The first was a bill to
require that 1.5% of public building construction funds be invested in solar energy
technologies, and the second was a bill to establish free and convenient
recycling of computers and televisions statewide. Electronics
products contain highly toxic materials and are a fast-growing component of the
trash headed to Oregon landfills.
“Oregon will
soon have one of the best recycling programs for computers and TVs in the
country,” said Jeremiah Baumann, spokesperson for Environment Oregon.
“Consumers and businesses will have access to free recycling, and electronics
manufacturers will be paying their fair share to keep their products out of our
landfills.”
The bill would make Oregon
one of only a handful of states who require manufacturers of electronics to pay
the cost of collecting and recycling their products. Proponents say the
financing mechanism saves local governments money on solid waste disposal
costs, and gives manufacturers a financial incentive to design their computers
to have fewer toxic components and be easier to recycle.
The Senate also took action on a bill to include
solar energy in new public buildings. “Solar energy lets Oregonians in every
corner of the state take control of their energy future by generating their own
clean, renewable power,” said Baumann. “This bill will have governments lead by
example in adopting solar technology and, in the long run, will reduce
government spending on energy bills.”
