Would Democratic state rep candidate Eric Freeman be willing to challenge Dell Computer to improve its efforts to recycle obsolete PCs? A supporter of Texas Campaign for the Environment recently sent an e-mail to Freeman, who would represent Dell as Dist. 52’s legislator, asking whether he endorsed the organization’s campaign for a transparent, enforceable program requiring the PC giant to take back and recycle consumers’ obsolete computers. This fall, Dell will unveil a take-back program for consumers, but it will charge them for shipping should they elect to recycle at the end of the PC’s life, rather than attaching the cost to the product’s original price.

Freeman responded that he supports requiring a recycling fee to be included in the upfront costs of a computer or monitor, but is not willing to legally require manufacturers to participate in the more comprehensive type of program that TCE favors. “I support continued efforts to work [to] create an industry wide program so that all manufacturers participate without legislation requiring them to,” he wrote. Freeman did echo TCE’s position that Dell could “easily” impact legislation and drive the debate by taking the lead voluntarily on this issue. “But they haven’t,” he said. “Dell has done much for my county, but they still need to do more to prevent pollution.”

Though TCE director Robin Schneider considers the e-mail a “good statement,” she added: “We have a two-pronged strategy. One is to get the company to adopt an enforceable agreement, and also to pressure for state legislation, which Mr. Freeman seems to want to avoid. We’d be happy to avoid it if [computer] companies would agree to set up an effective system, but I think that might not happen unless there’s some state legislation around the country that requires this.”

Freeman’s position may well be a moot point anyway — he is a definite underdog to unseat incumbent Republican Mike Krusee in the district, which covers eastern Williamson Co. In the primaries, Republican voters outnumbered Dems 2-1.

This article appears in August 16 • 2002.

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