California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act!!!...Huh?

[Iolaus]

I'd never even heard of this 'til today!

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Electronics/Act2003/

They're taxing us for using high-tech gear - the high-tech gear that moves California's economy forward?!?!

I really hate California sometimes!

[mddock58]

I wouldn't be suprised if more states follow suit, given that a personal computer's expected lifespan is about 2-3 years, there is TONS of old junk computers, filled with parts that are not easily recycleable.

I'm not a "greenie", but there needs to be an intellegent way to deal with the extreme waste we create.

I am a native of NoCal, but live out east now (23 Yrs), and I've seen a lot of strange legislation in Cali.

[switchblade5984]

yeah it sucks at times...... they carge us yet we cant get rid of the stuff......

[Yaish]

There are tons of free E-waste round ups all over SoCal Iolaus. I dont recall the link for times and locations, but I would guess a google of "E-waste round up" would bring it up.

They'll take your old CRT's batteries, CPU's, etc...

Better than tons of heavy metals being added to the groundwater.

[Iolaus]

Oh, I know about those, and HB has a haz-mat drop off at one of their reclamation centers as well. It's just that ... Jeese! Another tax?? Like they don't steal enough of our money already?!

The California legislators are chasing businesses out of the state with taxes, and they're just not getting it! I'm starting to understand that old Beatles song - Taxman.

Let me tell you how it will be;
There's one for you, nineteen for me.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

(if you drive a car, car;) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit, sit;) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold, cold;) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk, walk;) - I'll tax your feet.

Taxman!

'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Don't ask me what I want it for, (ah-ah, mister Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more. (ah-ah, mister heath)
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (taxman)
Declare the pennies on your eyes. (taxman)
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

And you're working for no one but me.

Taxman!

[minimalistix]

Oh, I know about those, and HB has a haz-mat drop off at one of their reclamation centers as well. It's just that ... Jeese! Another tax?? Like they don't steal enough of our money already?!

The California legislators are chasing businesses out of the state with taxes, and they're just not getting it! I'm starting to understand that old Beatles song - Taxman.

Oh and I'm sure those fees will go directly 'to establish a funding system for the collection and recycling of certain electronic wastes' Yeaaaaaah, right. They'll end up the the general fund and be spent of other pet projects.

[GlassMan]

Knowing politicians, the excess money collected will either be spent on Pork Projects or on pay raises for themselves!

[Valencian Kilted]

Well Iolaus, i'm a salesman and I work for a chemical french company. We sell raw materials for electronics manufacturing, that means that we use to visit and sell our products to people as Siemens, Bosch, Sony, Sanyo, Lear Corp., Visteon, etc,... ALL of them ask us to include the cost of wastes treatment into the price of our products, this means that we have to do that work for them, and look for the companies that are going to ake all those wastes out.

Knowing what I'm selling, I can tell you for example that one of the most used products in electronics is a solder paste, mainly composed by metal dust and some kind of resin or rosin (synthetic resin) to make it viscous.

In europe a new law is coming in order to compulse all the manufacturers to change the metallic composition of the soldering paste. Since the begginning of electronics, we have used Tin-Lead alloys to make this solderings, so, with the increasing of this products at the actual size, you cannot imagine how many millions of tones of this soldering have been used in the last 30 years. And you must know that lead is one of the most dangerous heavy metals. It gets into the undersoil and mixes with water there,... after some years, be sure that it will be found on your body in some way or another. It is a DANGEROUS waste for ur health as well as for plants and animals.

In the last years we have been compulsed to change the composition of those soldering materials, and it seems that a tin-silver-copper alloy will be accepted as less dangerous for everybody.

This change is going to be compulsory JUST in EU and Japan. China, Malaisia, USA, etc,... i mean, the massive electronics producers, are not going to do the change. They consider more important the cost rates than ur future,... will you do the same?? ;-)

¡Salud!

T O N O

[GlassMan]

That requirement to switch to lead-free solder & flux is also affecting the Stained Glass industry.

One of my favorite fluxes is Aqua Flux because it is lead free, non-toxic, and water soluble. But it's becoming hard to get here because the manufacturer is shipping so much of it to Europe!

When similar laws eliminating lead from certain manufactured items came into effect here in the US, solder and other chemicals intended for use in Stained Glass were exempted to preserve the historic nature of stained glass. Sadly, that has not happened in Europe much to the consternation of my European colleagues . ??:

[Valencian Kilted]

... I must insist,... it's a dangerous product. Why do you think that they changed the lead water conductions?... it was not for economy, believe me.

The same I've found for trichlorethylene for cleaning, it's cheap and it works better than anything for degreasing, but,... it's carcinogetic! and I've seen so much people even cleaning their hands with it!
It's better to know what are you handling. I'm pissed of seeing people suffering new forms of cancer all around me, and they're younger day after day!!

¡Salud!

T O N O