Each year in Minnesota, video display device (VDD) manufacturers (whether making their own branded products or contracting with others to make them) must:
- register with the state and, if they sell 100 or more VDDs in Minnesota, pay a registration fee.
- support collection and recycling of covered electronic devices (CED) from households/consumers in Minnesota.
- report on how they met their recycling obligation.
If they don't, their products can't be sold to Minnesota households. The program's year runs from July 1 to June 30.
Register
Complete and submit the registration form by August 15 each year, or within 10 days of offering VDDs for sale in Minnesota. Required information includes company contacts, brands and device types, and level of compliance with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS).
If you sold 100 or more VDDs to Minnesota households in the previous calendar year, you'll pay a $2,500 registration fee to the Minnesota Department of Revenue when you report your collections. No registration fee is assessed to manufacturers selling fewer than 100 units.
Meet recycling obligation
The MPCA will send letters to manufacturers on May 1 to detail their recycling obligation for the following year. You have three options to meet your recycling obligation:
- purchase pounds of eligible CED from registered collectors and recyclers
- use banked recycling credits or buy them from registered manufacturers (limited to 25% of each year's recycling obligation)
- pay per-pound recycling fees to the State of Minnesota (in general, fees are higher than CED prices charged by recyclers and collectors)
- $0.50/lb. for manufacturers that recycle less than 50% of their obligation
- $0.40/lb. for manufacturers that recycle 50-90% of their obligation
- $0.30/lb. for manufacturers that recycle 90-99% of their obligation
CED collected in a program year (July 1 to June 30) must be recycled and the pounds sold to a manufacturer within the program year to satisfy that year's recycling obligation. The MPCA issued updated guidance in 2021 on the requirements:
Manufacturer recycling credits
Recycling credits are created when a manufacturer purchases recycled pounds of CED that exceed their recycling obligation. These credits do not expire, but only manufacturers can hold them. The use of recycling credits is restricted to 25% of a manufacturer's recycling obligation in a given program year.
Manufacturers with recycling credits on record with the Minnesota Department of Revenue can sell them to another manufacturer or bank them to meet future obligations.
Report
Manufacturers report on their market share of VDD in the previous calendar year by March 1 using Re-Trac Connect
By August 15 each year, manufacturers must report on their required CED recycling for the program year just ended (July 1 to June 30) using Re-Trac Connect. You'll be asked to document purchases of recycled pounds of CED and/or recycling credits to meet your recycling obligation. You'll pay any fees owed along with your annual $2,500 annual registration fee, if you sold 100 or more VDDs to Minnesota households in the previous calendar year, to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. No annual registration fee is assessed to manufacturers selling fewer than 100 units.