MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - After gaining approval by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2010, a new recycling bill is putting restrictions on how you dispose of your old electronics.
Starting on July 1, the bill will prevent any kind of electronic waste - or "e-waste" from being trashed in a municipal solid waste landfill. The laundry list of items being targeted by the bill include televisions, computers and printers.
A memo issued by the Horry County Solid Waste Authority outlines that if any electronic materials make its way into a municipal solid waste landfill, a solid waste authority could face a misrepresented load fee.
The way the City of Myrtle Beach collects and disposes of e-waste was changed months before the new regulations were expected to go into effect, according to Jimmy Parker.
"We started in December with actually sorting our e-waste," Parker said, who works at the Myrtle Beach Department of Public Works. "From December until now, we've collected about 20 tons of e-waste. That's computers, TVs, appliances, printers [and] monitors."
Parker says the number of electronics being disposed of in the City of Myrtle Beach peaks around the holiday season, and dips in the summer time.
"In December, January [and] February, we were collecting unbelievable amounts of TVs, computers and appliances. Now they have slowed down when it's time to go into effect."
The effort to get ahead of the ball game is paying off for the city, according to Parker. He says their new system of recycling electronics has lightened their waste load and tipping fees they're paying out of pocket.
A new study by the Environmental Protection Agency claims 80 percent of electronic waste is collected with the trash you kick to the curb each day. Only 20 percent is properly recycled.
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