The relatively low number of electronic items being recycled may have less to due with apathy and more to do with a lack of knowledge as to where and how to actually participate. Currently a bill proposed by New York's City Council would see $100 fines given to those who throw electronics in the garbage and would also require manufacturers to take back older products and ones made by companies that no longer exist. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is strongly opposed to the bill claiming manufacturers should not have to take responsibility for the actions of consumers. Though Bloomberg is expected to veto the proposed bill, city council members have hopes that it would make manufacturers more inclined to offer recycling incentives such as mail-back programs.

Electronics contain harmful substances such as lead and mercury that can pose a threat to the environment when they end up in landfills. Though the amount of electronic waste isn't large, the damage it can do is significant, with as much as 40 per cent of lead discovered in landfills is believed to belong to devices like old computers and cell phones. Though they me be unaware of it, New York residents actually have plenty of opportunities to recycle their electronics. The Lower East Side Ecology Center holds monthly events where people can drop off their old, unused electronics, while Build it Green! NYC accepts the devices at their Astoria, Queens warehouse on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Per Scholas in the Bronx refurbishes old electronics such as computers and distributes them to low-income communities and schools and some retailers including Staples accept old electronics for a $10 fee per items.

Though New York is the target of the proposed bill, the conundrum of electronics recycling is one that is applicable across North America. Surely New Yorkers aren't the only ones in the dark about the how-tos of the recycling process, however the New York City Council will set a precedent by deciding if consumers should be held legally accountable for their lack of education on the topic.

» The New York Times