Why Product Stewardship? THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE Zack Hansen, Ramsey County Leslie Wilson,...
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Transcript of Why Product Stewardship? THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE Zack Hansen, Ramsey County Leslie Wilson,...
Why Product Stewardship?
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE
Zack Hansen, Ramsey CountyLeslie Wilson, Carver County
December 15, 2010
Overview
• Introduction - Why Product Stewardship?
• How Waste Has Changed
• The Impacts of Products and Packaging
• The Product Stewardship Approach
• SWMCB Roles and Activities
• The Future of Product Stewardship
Introduction:Why Product Stewardship?
• Local government “charge” for environmental and public health protection – the arm of the State.
• Environmental impacts – GHG emissions, water, landfills, toxicity.
• Local government costs, such as recycling and HHW management .
HOW WASTE HAS CHANGED
How Waste Has Changed
* Grey area includes household ash
How Waste Has Changed
Disposable By Design
THE IMPACTS OF PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING
* Use of Appliances and Devices
7%
Provisionof Food
12%
Non-local PassengerTransport
9%
Building HVAC and Lighting
21%
Local PassengerTransport
13%
US Greenhouse Gas EmissionsConsumption View – Global
© 2009 Product Policy InstituteSource: PPI 2009 – Joshua Stolaroff
Products & Packaging44%
Use *
Provision of Goods37%
Infra-structure
1%
Plastic bottles thrown into the Mississippi in Minnesota…
Our Waterways - Plastics
… flow downriver to the Gulf of Mexico and into the ocean, circulate through ocean
currents…
Our Waterways - Plastics
…and eventually end up here.
Our Waterways - Plastics
Our Waterways - Pharmaceuticals
• Small concentrations of pharmaceuticals have been found in:– Drinking water supplies of at least 41
million Americans.– Water at landfills, also known as
leachate, which can eventually end up in rivers.
CO$T
• All Minnesota solid waste costs are at least $1 billion a year, which is impacted by:– Clean up costs for 112 closed landfills.– Costs to manage Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).
• Counties in the SWMCB six-county metro area paid a total of $8.6 million in 2008 to manage HHW.
– Mounting state budget deficits.
So Why Doesn’t the Current System Work?
• Current government waste management programs unwittingly contribute to:– Manufacturer design of wasteful and
toxic products.– Consumer acceptance of disposable
products.• Convenient disposal perpetuates the
problem.
THE PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP APPROACH
Product Stewardship DefinedSWMCB
“Product stewardship means that all parties involved in designing, manufacturing, selling, and using a product share in the financial and physical responsibility for collecting and recycling products at the end of their useful lives.”
Today’s LinearWaste Management System
Manufacturers Retailers Consumers
© 2009 by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
Recycle & Garbage
Bins
Local Government
Funded
Landfill and Waste-to-Energy
Processes
Recycling
Tomorrow’s “Cradle to Cradle” System
Manufacturers
RetailersConsumers
Materials are recycledinto new products
Take Back Programsmail-back, collection sites,haulers, local governments
© 2009 by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
Current Minnesota Product Stewardship Efforts
• Focus on specific products to reduce government costs and remove them from the waste stream.– Includes e-waste, paint, CFLs, carpet,
beverage containers, telephone directories, mercury auto switches, and thermostats.
• Products mostly with hazardous character.• Significant investment of time.• Some success, some failure.
SWMCB Initiatives
E-Waste• Successful passage of legislation in 2007 after
several years.• SWMCB and MPCA evaluating legislation in
2010.
Paint• Minnesota was the site of an industry-led
statewide paint management model.• Minnesota Paint Stewardship bill passed
legislature in 2008 & 2009, later vetoed.
Beverage Containers
• Currently recycling 35%.• Collection needs to more
than double to reach 80% goal by 2012 (unlikely).
• Many of the strategies require legislative action.
SWMCB ROLES AND ACTIVITIES
SWMCB Roles
SWMCB Resolution
• On January 27, 2010 the SWMCB adopted a resolution for product stewardship.
SWMCB Product Stewardship Resources
• Tool kit available at www.swmcb.org/toolkits• Includes
– Presentation: Why Product Stewardship – The Local Government Perspective
– 3 Fact Sheets• What is Product Stewardship?• Cost Considerations in Product Stewardship Programs?• Why a Product Stewardship Framework?
– Resolution of Support for local government
THE FUTURE OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP
Product Stewardship in the Future
•It could be:– The foundation for waste management
policy;– A means to increase efficiency (that is, less
waste) in business and government;– A way for government to reduce its waste
management costs; and– A movement towards less toxic products
(i.e. “green” chemistry or design for the environment).
Next Steps
• SWMCB focus on advocacy - 2011 legislative package:– Establish an Extended Producer
Responsibility Framework Approach • Would create effective producer led reduction,
reuse and recycling programs, to deal with a product’s lifecycle impacts
• Less need for government intervention and less money spent by government to manage products
• SWMCB also supports specific product stewardship efforts.