Bay Alarm’s Westphal Warns of Coming Penalties for Alarm Industry E-Waste

Security companies should start preparing to upgrade their systems for e-waste disposal or risk action by state Attorneys General. Graham Westphal, Co-President of Bay Alarm and secretary of the CSAA Board of Directors, brought this matter to the attention of CSAA members present at the General Membership Meeting in Fort Worth on June 9.

Westphal detailed how California’s Attorney General has recently brought action against Comcast, ADT and Bay Alarm for improper disposal of e-waste, and warned that state AGs talk to each other and see this kind of action as a revenue source. “It’s likely similar actions will be coming to a state near you,” he said.

“In California, you now own the electronic waste you remove from a home,” Westphal continued. “They are dumpster-diving to find evidence, and assigning impact fees.” Most of the hazardous waste in the Comcast case was electronic equipment such as remote controls, splitters, routers, modems, amplifiers, and power adapters.

Westphal advises companies to immediately revisit their e-waste recycling plan to be sure it is up-to-date and congruent with state laws — and that the plan is being followed.

CSAA will research and distribute additional resources for member companies on e-waste issues. If you would like to share details from experiences in your state(s), please contact Elizabeth Lasko at ewlasko@csaaintl.org.

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