Worldwide there are now 3.3 billion cell phone subscriptions. More than 1.1 billion cell phones were sold in 2007, marking a 12% increase from the previous year, according to a study by Strategy Analytics, a market research firm. The study also forecasts a 10% increase in cell phone purchases this year, with regions such as Africa and the Middle East picking up the slack for saturated Western markets.

With so many cell phones changing hands on a daily basis and more than 150 million cell phones being replaced every year in the US alone, finding a way to deal with mounting piles of electronic waste has become a challenge demanding serious attention.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy that requires manufacturers to accept responsibility for all stages in a product’s lifecycle, including “end-of-life” management, is gaining momentum in US environmental policymaking circles. Legislators are seeking to develop laws that will encourage and reward companies for investing in innovative design and recycling technologies that reduce the environmental impact of their products.

By the end of 2007, many states had already passed EPR legislation, including: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina and Washington. Early this year, New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, and West Virginia joined the list.

Of this group, Minnesota is the first and only state to set mandatory recycling goals for electronics manufacturers. The MN law requires manufacturers to recycle 60% of the weight of their products sold by July 2008, and 80% each year after that. For amounts short of these targets, manufacturers are assessed a penalty per pound. Those who surpass targets earn credits that can be used in future years or sold to other companies. The law thereby assures that manufacturers are responsible for their products from creation to disposal. It is estimated that this new law will help to collect 28 to 29 million pounds of e-waste this year alone.

New York City, which produces about 25,000 tons of e-waste annually, broke new ground in 2008 by being the first municipality to approve EPR legislation creating mandatory take-back programs for electronics manufacturers. The bill, Intro. 104-A, required companies to begin taking back electronics in July 2009, with mandatory take-back percentages gradually increasing until 2018, when manufacturers would be expected to take back 65% of their products. Intro.104 also imposed a $100 fine on City residents for discarding electronics and stiff fines on manufacturers for failing to meet mandated take-back levels.

Though the City Council passed 104-A by a vote of 47-3, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took issue with some of the bill’s provisions and threatened to veto. The City Council responded by recalling the legislation and reintroducing it as two distinct bills. Intro 728, which mandates that companies develop recycling plans for their electronics devices, was passed on April 1, 2008. Intro 729, which stipulates take-back thresholds and penalties, was vetoed by Mayor Bloomberg. On May 13, 2008, the City Council voted to override this veto.