James Maroney

State Senator James Maroney Leads Passage of Bill That Creates Kiosks To Recycle Electronics

Today, state Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), Senate Chair of the General Law Committee, lead State Senate passage of a bill that will establish an expansion of automatic kiosks for people to recycle their unwanted electronic devices.

Senate Bill 974, ‘An Act Concerning Pharmacies And Pharmacists,’ passed the Senate with a unanimous vote and now heads to the House of Representatives.

“Allowing for automated kiosks to recycle cell phones throughout the state will help remove them from our waste stream. This is better for the environment and also gives consumers the opportunity to make some money. It is a win win.” said Senator Maroney.

Under Senate Bill 974, the interactive kiosks will be required to be located in secure retail spaces that allow people to recycle their used personal electronic devices. In order to recycle a used electronic device, such as a mobile phone, the kiosk will ask for identification. A person must provide a current government-issued photo identification card. Each time an electronic device is recycled, the kiosk will give the person cash or electronic payment for the deice. The kiosk will keep data from each transaction for three years.

Also under SB 974, there will be a holding period. Kiosks will not be able to recycle, sell, or dispose of a device for at least 15 days. During the 15-day holding period, law enforcement may ask the kiosk operator to give an electronic device to the law enforcement agency or officer for inspection.