Environmental Leader

A new program gives hotels an option for recycling their aging television sets and computer monitors. LG Electronics USA Inc. and Waste Management Inc. are partnering to offer the service.

The program, which launches in 2010, will have LG working with Waste Management subsidiary WM Recycle America LLC, according to a press release.

The two will offer recycling of old equipment, as well as packaging from new LG flat-panel TVs and computer monitors that are installed on site.

The new service comes as more and more states are adding laws that require electronics manufactures to pay for e-waste recycling.

Noting that most voluntary and state-mandated efforts across the country have been focused on consumer recycling efforts, Jason Linnell, Executive Director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling, called the new partnership “significant,” considering the millions of analog TVs being replaced in hotel rooms nationwide.

What to do with e-waste is a hotly contested subject. The Consumer Electronic Association and the Information Technology Industry Council months ago filed a lawsuit against a New York City e-recycling law (PDF), calling it unconstitutional. The law mandates that manufacturers provide free, door-to-door electronics collection to city residents.

Just last week, a number of state and local government representatives signed a letter accusing the electronics industry of trying to usurp state rights.

In late September, the “Electronic Device Recycling and Research and Development Act,” which also would address the use of hazardous materials in the production of electronics, was introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).