Schwarzenegger Signs Cellphone Recycling Law

The California governor, this week, signed into law a bill proposed by Assemblywomen Fran Pavley and Christine Kehoe that will require California cell-phone retailers to establish a stem for recycling used cell phones. Much like the tin can, tire, or car battery programs, the new law will require retailers to add a surcharge which will fund this and other environmental programs. Customers will be offered a rebate for returned handsets. We entirely support a plan to extract more value from cell-phones before they are discarded, and also to ensure that the toxic components are handled correctly when they are finally past their service lives. Such recycling programs, once in place, may even offer an easy way for developed nations to help Africa, where leaders have been asking the West for free mobile phones.

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