One of the major stories that emerged from the Consumer Electronics Show last month was not about the latest plasma TV or handheld phone, but how we dispose of last year’s model. That’s right, the hottest topic was e-waste, e-cycling and the far-reaching “greening” of the electronics industry.

Electronics waste recycling has risen again to the forefront of the news as additional states joined pioneering California and Maine in enacting their own versions of the WEEE directive during the second half of 2007. And just like the RoHS situation here in the U.S., there is no unified electronics recycling law from state to state, and it’s a good bet consumers and manufacturers are going to pay a price for these regional differences.

Back in June, the Electronics Industries Alliance again urged Congress to take action. It’s no surprise, however, that we entered the new year without a national program. Since 2003, Congress has been “considering” various forms of this legislation. Here, almost five years later, we at best pay lip service to electronics recycling. Absent a federal plan, at the close of 2007 only 10 states had some form of legislation in place to regulate e-waste.

It has been estimated that in 2007, only 12.5% of the electronics waste generated in the U.S. was recycled. These figures vary depending on the specific products included in the category of electronics waste. Most of the states that have enacted laws include only computers, TVs and CRTs generated by household consumers – not those purchased by and used for business purposes. This figure represents about 320,000 tons, so doing the math, the U.S. annually generates more than 2.5 million tons of e-waste.

The majority of states that have laws on the books follow a “producer responsibility” approach. That is, the product manufacturer is responsible for cost of recycling the waste. Some programs are already on line, but most will be phased in over the next few years. California, for one, has an “advanced recovery fee” based system, but language for a producer responsibility approach is under evaluation and, if ratified, will be added to its regulations.

Current data shows that even in states with mandatory recycling laws, only 20% of U.S. consumers comply. A number of OEMs encourage recycling through take-back programs. Of these, companies like Apple, H-P, Dell and Sony are becoming models of corporate stewardship.

Each company has different ideas about what should be included and how these programs should work. Apple, for example, will take back any competitive brand, provided you buy a new PC direct from Apple. Dell, which has a similar program, will also take old Dell models for free (including shipping), even if you aren’t buying a new version. Sony’s program is relatively new, but it will also cover TVs – a big plus for analog holdouts. (A great guide to the various programs is at computertakeback.com.)

Several other programs are in development to establish beneficial end-of-life product recycling. Keep in mind that most programs and companies are looking to deal with large volumes of waste from municipalities or those collected by organizations, and are not set up to deal with one-off units. This may be why more consumers don’t recycle e-waste. It’s just not as straightforward as taking out the trash.

On its Web site, EPA lists over 140 U.S. members of the International Association of Electronics Recyclers that specialize in e-waste. Many combine environmentally sound materials recovery procedures with some form of parts recovery and unit refurbishment. If you don’t recycle e-waste via one of the major OEMs, check out these firms, but be forewarned: First ensure they do not ship e-waste overseas, where it could be processed by shady outfits and reintroduced to the supply chain via the gray parts market.

If we can make more of our waste through recycling programs here in the U.S. that work, everybody wins. Job can be created, natural resources and the environment preserved, and millions of pounds of usable materials diverted from overflowing landfills. The assets we discard today might just be those we want most tomorrow.

One housekeeping note: Want to conserve a few gallons (or more) of gas? Check out Virtual PCB, the industry’s first Web-based, fully interactive, virtual event for PCB designers, fabricators and assemblers. The show dates are Feb. 12-13, and registration (virtual-pcb.com) is free. Virtual PCB offers leading exhibitors, technical content and networking both during the live event and for the three months that follow, all from the comfort and convenience of your office or home.