What is a product fee?
Product Fees are imposed by state governments on the sale of certain new products. The fees are generally used to pay for the future recycling of these items, many of which may contain a minimal amount of hazardous or hard-to-dispose-of materials. Known officially as product stewardship laws, they are adopted to reduce the environmental, safety and health impacts of various consumer products. Currently, there are 33 states, about 80 percent of the U.S. population, with product stewardship laws of some kind. These laws commonly require fees on the following type of products*:
— Batteries (contain harmful lead, acids, and toxins that escalate recycling costs)
— Bottled beverages (manufactured with crude oil and environmentally unfriendly if not recycled)
— Carpets (due to volume and cost to recycle useable materials, makes if difficult to dispose of)
— Electronic devices such as televisions, computer monitors, laptops, etc. (contain harmful mercury)\
— Mattresses (no toxicity, but landfills don't want them, and the cost to dismantle and recycle independent components is high)
— Paint (toxic solvents and organic compounds can pollute air and water if not recycled properly)
— Tires (can trap methane gases which damage landfill liners that protect the surface from contaminants)
*Not all products listed
FAQ:
Who has to pay these fees?
In most states with stewardship laws, manufactures and resellers are required to collect these fees from the consumer at the point of sale. The collected fees are then sent to the state, usually on an annual basis. Manufactures and resellers who fail to comply with these requirements are subject to civil fines and penalties.
How much do these fees cost?
All product fees are monitored at the state level and change accordingly. However, federal law requires that any product fee must be included somewhere on a receipt of sale. They're generally represented by a small number of characters (11 or less) so they're often overlooked-but they are there.
Will I recover the cost of these fees?
You will need to contact your own state department to confirm this. In most cases, the answer is likely no. However, in some states, consumers who can provide a receipt may avoid recycling fees at their public transfer/waste stations. Some products, like automobile batteries, are charged a core fee which is recouped when the consumer returns the old one. Again, you will need to reach out to your county or state divisions to see if you have any recovery options.
