Delicate negotiations between government, industry and environmental interests in electronics recycling soon may lead to an agreement on a nationwide recovery system for obsolete computers, monitors and televisions.

Resource Recycling reports that a group of about a dozen officials hopes to deliver a recommendation in February to a larger alliance of interests as part of the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative. According to several of the negotiators, a general consensus may be generated for a national recycling system that relies on a front-end recycling fee charged on new sales. Monies would flow to local communities for the operation of basic electronics scrap collection systems and also would pay for the cost of shipping and processing. Such a system would likely require adoption of a federal law to assure that all electronics producers were charging the recycling fee.