On Jan. 1, Hawai'i will join the ranks of about a dozen states that have e-waste recycling programs.

Under Hawai'i's law, manufacturers of desktop and laptop computers, monitors and printers sold here will be required to take back and recycle those products. One year later, the law will require manufacturers to recycle TVs as well.

The new law applies to those electronics made and sold before January.

But two weeks before the law takes effect, it's unclear how most manufacturers will take back their products or whether the mandate could lead to higher costs for consumers.

"This first year is going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds," said Steven Chang, program manager for the state Department of Health solid and hazardous waste branch. "Ultimately, in any kind of program, there could be an increase in the cost of products."

Honolulu residents discard an average of 14.4 million pounds of electronic waste annually , according to a 2006 estimate by the City and County of Honolulu. That equates to an average of about 16 pounds of e-waste per O'ahu resident each year.

Under the law passed in 2008, consumers won't be required to recycle electronics. The law requires 43 manufacturers that sell covered electronic devices to have an electronic waste, or e-waste, recycling plan approved by the state by year's end. As of Dec. 7, 20 plans had been approved, according to the state Department of Health.

The goal of these e-waste recycling efforts is to divert material, which in some instances is hazardous, from local landfills .

DETAILS SKETCHY

Details on how manufacturer recycling plans will work remain sketchy, and strategies for complying vary widely, Chang said. For example, printer maker Epson will charge consumers $10 for a return shipping label needed to ship printers for recycling. Other manufacturers plan to allow consumers to drop off electronics at a central collection point.

Sony and Apple did not have approved plans as of Dec. 7. However, both manufacturers already recycle their own products, Chang said.

Besides requiring manufacturers to take back and recycle their products, the law also requires retailers to inform consumers about recycling programs offered by manufacturers.

Retailers are only required to take back their in-house store brands. For example, Best Buy will only be required to take back its Insignia and Dynex products. However, Best Buy said it already recycles TVs, computers, monitors and printers of all makes.

"All the stuff gets palletized and sent to the Mainland at our expense, and it's recycled," said Best Buy Hawai'i manager Shawn Troup. "I probably send back 15 to 20 pallets, at least, a week."

Consumers recycling non-Best Buy brands are charged $10, but also receive a $10 Best Buy gift card, Troup said.

Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said the company currently offers mail-back recycling of electronic products through Walmart.com and Samsclub.com. Customers can receive a trade-in value for eligible electronics. However, free shipping of goods for recycling is only avaliable to customers living in the continental United States.

Details of how Best Buy and Walmart plan to notify Hawai'i customers about manufacturer recycling plans were unavailable. In many cases, that communication is likely to occur via store signs, Web sites and store receipts, said Carol Pregill, executive director of the Retail Merchants of Hawai'i trade association.

Manufacturers can charge a recycling fee at the point of purchase. However, they're prevented by law from charging a fee when devices are recycled. The law does allow a shipping charge to customers to cover the cost of sending electronics back to the manufacturer for recycling.

COST MAY INCREASE

Whether the law will drive up the cost of consumer electronics remains to be seen. However, the hope is that e-waste efforts locally and globally will cause manufacturers to build more recyclable electronics, Pregill said.

"There is always that possibility (that prices increase), but I think the program was designed for it not to," she said. "I think the underlying principle in the long term was to develop more environmentally friendly products to mitigate the costs and expense of the take back."

Other provisions of the e-waste recycling law require manufacturers to clearly label their products and pay an annual registration fee of $5,000 a year. So far, the state has collected about $200,000, which will be used to monitor and enforce the e-waste recycling law, said the Health Department's Chang.

Ultimately, manufacturer recycling plans could become a selling point for increasingly environmentally conscious consumers.

"We're just going to have to see how well these manufacturer plans work because I think they'll become very wary of consumer dissatisfaction with their efforts," Chang said. "If you put together a bad plan, and it's cumbersome and inconvenient for people, consumers will be able to exert their purchasing powers."

State and industry officials agreed that consumers likely will need to exercise patience as manufacturers and retailers work out the details on how each recycling program works.

"It's not going to be 100 percent working from the beginning , but we need to give it time," Pregill said.