by Sangamithra Iyer -
Feb 20th, 2008 
Last week, the New York City Council passed an electronics recycling bill that would make e-waste recycling mandatory and place responsibility for collecting and recycling discarded items on manufacturers.
Council Member Bill De Blasio, lead sponsor of the bill, provided this rationale:
New York City annually disposes of more than 25,000 tons of discarded TVs, computers and other electronic equipment, which contain mercury, lead, cadmium and other hazardous materials that not only endanger sanitation workers but contaminate our landfills, our water, and our air. It is time for manufacturers to take responsibility for the impact their products have on our environment.
Though the bill would make New York the first city in the nation to enact such a measure, ten states including New Jersey and Connecticut have already passed similar legislation. Even Apple, a target of environmental campaigns for its ‘iwaste,’ supports the City Council's bill.
You'd think Mike Bloomberg, America's climate action mayor, the man behind PlaNYC and GreeNYC, would be a staunch supporter. Not so.
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