MACo Associate Director Les Knapp testified in support of HB 685 with amendments before the House Environmental Matters Committee on February 24.  The bill, introduced by Delegate Dana Stein, requires each county to have a recycling plan for the collection and recycling of fluorescent and compact fluorescent lights that contain mercury by October 1, 2011.

Mr. Knapp testified that because fluorescent lights contain mercury, a hazardous substance, recycling and disposal are more complicated.  He stated that while MACo did not have an issue with a county having a recycling plan for fluorescent lights, MACo could not support any measure that imposed an additional unfunded mandate on the counties, especially during the current fiscal crisis.  He suggested amendments making the bill analogous to electronics recycling legislation passed by the Committee in 2005 and 2007 that did not impose an unfunded mandate on county governments.