A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENT TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE DISPOSAL OF COMPUTERS.
WHEREAS, it is estimated that
there will be more than three hundred fifteen million obsolete computers in the
United States by 2004; and
WHEREAS, as consumers accelerate
the pace with which they replace computers, landfill managers face a growing
dilemma caused by both the volume of waste generated by computers and by the
hazardous materials in computers that could be released into the environment
once they are discarded; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico currently
has no regulations concerning the disposal of computers; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico in 1990
enacted the Solid Waste Act in an admirable effort to manage the disposal of
refuse and to encourage recycling; and
WHEREAS, while there are no
large scale computer recycling operations in New Mexico, it is possible that
some would be formed if a market were created; and
WHEREAS, it is always desirable
to recycle refuse and especially so in the case of computers because of the costs
and risks associated with disposing of computers;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of
environment be requested to study the costs and benefits of implementing a
computer recycling program, whether under its own management or that of private
enterprise; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the
department of environment report its findings and recommendations, if any, to
the appropriate interim committee of the legislature prior to December 1, 2003;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of environment.