NEW YORK, NY May 25, 2005 —WNYC has learned that Council Speaker Gifford Miller and others plan to introduce a bill that would make the city the first in the country to recycle computers, TVs and other electronic equipment. WNYC's Amy Eddings reports.

REPORTER: Under the bill, Gateway, Dell, Panasonic, and others would have to set up free programs to take back old computers and TVs, and recycle them...or else they won't be allowed to sell their products in the city.

The Bloomberg Administration favors a federal approach; a spokesman for the mayor says a city e-waste law could put retailers here at a disadvantage. But Speaker Miller, who's also a Democrat candidate for mayor, dismissed those concerns.

MILLER: That sounds like a big excuse for inaction to me.

REPORTER: Computer monitors and TVs contain lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Electronic waste currently makes up less than one percent of the city's trash...but environmental advocates say that number's likely to grow.