Best Buy to Charge Fee |for E-Waste Recycling

(CN) - Best Buy will now charge you a fee to recycle your e-waste as a result of rising recycling costs and dropping prices for recycled glass.

Beginning this week, consumers will be charged $25 for each TV and computer monitor they dispose of at a Best Buy store.

Stores in Illinois and Pennsylvania, however, will no longer participate in the recycling program because of state laws that prohibit the collection of fees to run such programs.

Other products including batteries, ink cartridges, computers, printers will continue to be recycled for free at all Best Buy stores.

Since 2009, Best Buy has voluntarily operated the most comprehensive e-waste recycling service in the United States, according to a statement from Laura Bishop, Best Buy's vice president of public affairs and sustainability.

"Our goal has always been to simply break even on our recycling program, and we're not there today," Bishop said.

According to the statement, the new fee will cover costs associated with managing TV and monitor disposal through Best Buy's network of stores, distribution centers and recycling partners.

"E-waste volume is rising, commodity prices are falling and global outlets for recycled glass, a key component of TVs and monitors, have dramatically declined," Bishop said. "More and more cities and counties have cut their recycling programs for budget reasons, limiting consumer options even further. While providing recycling solutions for our customers is a priority, Best Buy should not be the sole e-cycling provider in any given area, nor should we assume the entire cost."

A state law passed in 2007 requires manufactures of video display devices to recycle 80 percent of their market sales weight.

Bishop said Best Buy has exceeded its requirements since the law went into effect.

The retailer now collects one-third of all electronic waste in Minnesota, she added.

More than 1 billion pounds has been collected by Best Buy since the program's inception in 2009, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

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