TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, the Chair of the Senate Environment Committee, will preside over a hearing tomorrow, February 8, on how the State should proceed in establishing an electronic waste management program, in order to promote recycling of used electronic devices.
“As technology advances, we find that the products we purchased yesterday are obsolete by tomorrow,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “In an effort to stay current with the latest technology trends, we often generate vast amounts of e-waste – used technological devices which can be recycled, but require special attention to safety concerns. As the most densely-populated state in the nation, and a hub of commercial activity, I think New Jersey should be at the forefront of establishing an e-waste management program which emphasizes environmental conscience and safe handling of electronics.”
Senator Smith noted that the Committee will hear from Shirley Willd-Wagner director of California’s e-waste management program, via teleconference, about that State’s efforts to control electronic waste. The Committee will also take testimony from Assemblyman William Colton from New York State and Representative Chris Ross from Pennsylvania, two lawmakers working to establish management programs in their own states, and a coalition of manufacturers which support responsible recycling programs.
The Senate Environment Committee will meet at 1:00 PM on February 8, 2007, in Committee Room 10 on the third floor of the Statehouse Annex.