South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

Registration Update

The South Carolina registration process for electronics manufacturers is now available. Registration for TV manufacturers is required no later than October 1, 2012.

More information -- as well as an online registration system -- is available.

Electronics Legislation

South Carolina passed legislation in 2010 that established requirements for manufacturers of covered television devices – electronic devices that contain a tuner and are capable of receiving and displaying television or video programming via broadcast, cable or satellite – effective July 1, 2011. Each of these requirements is addressed below.

Notifications are issued periodically to provide the latest program updates. More information is available.

Covered Television Devices

The law defines covered television devices as electronic devices that contain a tuner and are capable of receiving and displaying television or video programming via broadcast, cable or satellite with a viewable size of 9 inches or larger (Section 48-60-20).

Product Labeling

Television manufacturers may not sell or offer to sell a covered television device unless a label indicating the television manufacturer’s brand is permanently affixed to the covered device in a readily visible location (Section 48-60-30).

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Recovery Program

Television manufacturers may not sell or offer to sell a covered television device unless the manufacturer provides a recovery programs at no cost or offers the consumer a financial incentive that has an equal or greater value than the cost.

Recovery programs may consist of mail-back systems, collection sites, collection events or some combination of the three. These programs should be designed so that the television manufacturer is able to meet its recycling obligation (see below).

Covered devices must be recovered in a manner that complies with all applicable federal, state and local requirements (Section 48-60-140). Additional recovery program requirements will be detailed in regulation.

Electronic equipment collected through manufacturer recovery programs must be recycled by a recoverer that, at a minimum, complies with the responsible recycling practices (R2/RIOS) or other comparable industry or governmental standards (Section 48-60-140). The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control recognizes that recycling facilities that are (1) R2 certified or (2) designated as e-Stewards Recyclers have satisfied this requirement.

Market Share and Recycling Obligation

Beginning on July 1, 2011, manufacturers of covered television devices must recycle or arrange for the recycling of covered televisions.

Beginning on July 1, 2012, a television manufacturer annually must recycle or arrange for the recycling of its market share of covered television devices. An individual manufacturer’s market share, as defined by law, is the total weight of the manufacturer’s televisions that were sold at retail in the United States to individuals during the previous state’s fiscal year multiplied by the population fraction of South Carolina to the United States, divided by the total weight of all the televisions that were sold at retail to individuals in South Carolina during the previous state’s fiscal year.

The individual recycling obligation for each television manufacturer is the total pounds of televisions recycled by all television manufacturers during the previous state’s fiscal year multiplied by the manufacturer’s market share as calculated above. The recycling obligation will be calculated by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and provided to each television manufacturer.

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Annual Reporting

Television manufacturers shall report to DHEC the total weight of their televisions sold at retail in the United States, the state-specific television sales data annually calculated using the population faction of South Carolina to the United States and the total weight of televisions collected and recycled in South Carolina during the state’s previous fiscal year.

Additional reporting requirements for television manufacturers will be detailed in regulation. View the proposed regulation.

Frequently Asked Questions

To assist manufacturers of covered television devices in fully understanding and meeting their requirements effective July 1, 2011, a number of frequently asked questions and answers are available.

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