ARLINGTON, VA – “Congress can do right by the environment, consumers and the electronics industry by adopting a national recycling plan," said EIA interim president and CEO Matt Flanigan.

Governors Rick Perry (R-TX) and M. Jodi Rell (R-CT) are expected to sign electronics recycling laws for their respective states. Manufacturers will then face eight unique sets of requirements – twice as many as there were a year ago. A number of other states and New York City are considering laws of their own, the EIA reported.

A patchwork of electronics recycling laws is emerging from state capitals across the country, presenting manufacturers with a major challenge and Congress with a golden opportunity, the association continued.

"This is an issue crying out for a national solution," said Flanigan. "These laws vary dramatically from state to state, picking winners and losers among electronics manufacturers and retailers. If 50 legislatures rewrite business models state by state, consumers could see higher costs and fewer choices – all without any commensurate environmental benefit.”

Recently, EIA released a consensus framework that paves the way for federal legislation to establish a national recycling program for household TVs and IT products such as computers and monitors. The proposal represents the first consensus agreement among IT and TV manufacturers on meeting the nation's electronics recycling challenge, said EIA.

The framework calls for a bifurcated financing approach, separating TVs from computer equipment to reflect their divergent business models, market composition and consumer base.