Missourians buying new computers don’t have to worry about tripping over them when they become outdated.
A new law says retailers have to provide buyers of new computers with recycling instructions. The law applies to any computer sold after August 28th. The retailer has to tell the buyer what to do with that computer when it’s time to buy still another one.
State Senator Dan Clemens of Marshfield, the sponsor of the bill, says it applies only to new computers although retailers might voluntarily accept old machines bought before the law went into effect.
The Department of Natural Resources has had a computer recycling program but it has not been well-known. Clemens says he did not know about it until he introduced his bill. He says the recycling program needs to be written into law, not just voluntary.
He says the new law will keep computers, and the potentially harmful substances in them, out of landfills, or other places people throw them when technology turns to junk.
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