In New York, E-Waste Recycling Law Takes Effect

Environmental advocates and New York City officials say that manufacturers have gotten off to a slow start educating the public and posting information on their Web sites about how consumers should proceed.

The new law mandates that manufacturers pay for the collection, handling and recycling of electronic products to keep materials that may contain toxic metals like lead and mercury from going into the trash, and later into incinerators and landfills. While some major companies already take items back through collections and trade-in programs, the new law requires the makers of electronics to set up a permanent system of collections throughout the state.

Part of the goal is to make it simpler for consumers to prepare for 2015, when it will be illegal to throw electronics into the regular trash.

New York City officials had been hoping that companies would supply the state with detailed information on pickups or drop-off sites before the law’s effective date so the city could help promote the services on its Web site, through direct mailings and through its 311 help line. Few were forthcoming, the officials said.