Sen. Smith Applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan E-Cycling Legislation

Legislation Co-authored by Sen. Smith Moves Forward in the Legislature

MADISON – Today the Wisconsin State Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Sen. Jeff Smith (D – Brunswick), to make improvements to the E-Cycle Wisconsin program.

Wisconsin’s electronics recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, first took effect in 2010. Since then, Wisconsin has recycled more than 325 million pounds of electronics and expanded access to electronic recycling for Wisconsin residents. Senate Bill 248 will encourage more households to recycle unused electronics and make the program run more effectively and efficiently.

“I’m proud to see bipartisan backing of Senate Bill 248 to expand on the success of Wisconsin’s E-Cycle program,” said Sen. Smith. “Wisconsinites want to be responsible environmental stewards and this legislation makes it easier to get involved in statewide sustainability efforts, especially in our rural communities.”

Senate Bill 248 makes a number of changes to E-Cycle Wisconsin and promotes additional public engagement in the program. The bill creates a grant program to increase access to collection sites and events in rural areas; expands E-Cycle Wisconsin to allow more collections from local schools; and makes changes to help manufacturers, recyclers and local governments manage their electronics recycling program.

Senate Bill 248 will now head to the State Assembly for passage before it can be signed into law by Governor Tony Evers.

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