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State Representative Paul Thissen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5375
For more information contact: Chris Shields 651-296-8873
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THISSEN APPOINTED TO BIPARTISAN TASKFORCE ON ELECTRONIC WASTE
ST. PAUL - State Representative Paul Thissen was appointed to a bipartisan legislative task force charged with addressing issues surrounding the collection and recycling electronic waste. Old electronic goods contain lead, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous materials that can contaminate landfills. As a result, starting this summer it will be illegal to dump computers, televisions, and other electronics in the garbage for curbside pickup. Instead, the law will require that those items must be recycled. The problem is that current recycling programs are hit and miss and the public collection programs that exist are subsidized with money from other programs. Thissen said theses are the problems the taskforce hopes to fix.
"This was a contentious issue until the very end of the 2005 session," Thissen said. "The central issue is how and who will pay for the collection and recycling efforts. It is also important to create a system that gives manufactures an incentive to design environmentally-friendly products."
Hennepin County currently collects retired residential electronics at its Bloomington and Brooklyn Park drop-off centers. No fee is charged. You can call 612-348-3777 for more information. Companies like Best buy also offer to take old electronics when a new product is purchased.
As the taskforce conducts it work, Thissen would like to hear opinions from both his constituents and people living outside his district. You can contact his office at 651-296-5375 or e-mail him at rep.paul.thissen@house.mn.
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