CPSC presentation

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Bringing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
to California
Presented by Carol Misseldine, City of Oakland
and CPSC Northern California Recycling
Association March 27, 2007
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Municipal waste was simpler then
CARD OF INSTRUCTION FOR HOUSEHOLDERS
Put into Rubbish Bundles
Bottles, Paper, Pasteboard, etc. Rags,
Mattresses, Old Clothes, Old Shoes, Leather and
Leather Scrap, Carpets, Tobacco Stems, Straw and
Excelsior, (from households only)
The Sanitary Code requires householders and
occupants to provide separate receptacles for
ashes and garbage and forbids mixing these in the
same receptacle. This law will be strictly
enforced.
New York City ca. 1905
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Waste has changed radically
Waste Generated
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Designed for disposal
Products make up 75 of our waste
Food Scraps
Yard Trimmings
Miscellaneous inorganics
SOURCE US EPA 2005 Waste Generation
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Government takes action again
HHW recycling become community services
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So What Is The Problem?

• CA continues to ban products from landfill
• Example U-Waste Ban, 2/06 - All electronics
  with circuit boards - Mercury-containing
  products - Household batteries
• Bans without plans are unfunded mandates on local
  government
• Local governments cant afford to collect and
  manage these materials nor should they

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Why Local Government Should Not Pay

• Local governments do not have the capacity or
  resources to effectively manage hazardous
  products
• Its a subsidy that perpetuates waste

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3 U-Waste Products 32 Counties
SOURCE MGT of America, 2002

1 Although Kings County did return the survey,
the survey contained no data. A fuller
explanation of the countys response can be found
in its profile in Appendix E.
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Amount Collected is Tiny

• Less than 2 of fluorescent lamps are collected
  from households and small businesses.
• Less than 1 of alkaline batteries
• Less than 25 of rechargeable batteries
• Less than 10 of residents use HHW sites.
• CIWMB

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Cost to Collect is Staggering

• More than 100 Million needed to keep U-waste out
  of the trash in CA
• San Luis Obispo HHW program Current budget of
  300K would have to increase to 4 Million for
  U-waste products.
• CIWMB additional 41 Million needed for 32
  jurisdictions, for three U-waste categories.

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Root problem Welfare for waste

• Municipal solid waste management is
• A subsidy to the makers of toxic and throwaway
  products that encourages design for disposal.
• Welfare for waste.

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Solution Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• An environmental policy approach in which a
  producers responsibility, physical and/or
  financial, for a product is extended to the
  post-consumer stage of a products life cycle.

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Waste system
Industrial system
Production Distribution
Collection Disposal
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Cradle-to-cradle supply chain
Industrial system
Production Distribution
Reverse Distribution
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EPR Provides Many Solutions

• Removes program or financing burden from local
  governments.
• Provides more convenient collection options than
  government can provide.
• Provides an economic feedback loop that can lead
  to cleaner, safer products.

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Business Support for EPR

• Manufacturers
• Want level playing field.
• Want non-prescriptive programs
• Government sets standards and outcomes, Industry
  designs and operates programs.
• Retailers
• Want contractual, not mandated relationship with
  manufacturers.

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Business Support for EPR (cont.)

• Retailers
• Ace Hardware
• Best Buy
• Circuit City
• Green Valley Disposal
• IKEA
• Orchard Supply Hardware
• Radio Shack
• Staples
• TruValue Hardware
• Universal Electric
• Walgreens

• Manufacturers
• Collins Aikman
• Dell
• Dunn-Edwards
• ICI Paint
• Kelly-Moore Paints
• General Electric
• Hewlett-Packard
• Honeywell
• White Rogers

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Broad Political Support for EPR

• Encourages smaller government
• Reduces unfunded mandates on local government
• Provides taxpayer relief
• Supports concept that industry operates more
  efficiently than government
• Eliminates subsidies to manufacturers

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Example Compact Fluorescents

• Wal-Mart announced it will sell 100 million CFLs
  in 2007.
• CA Assemblymember Levine introduced legislation
  banning incandescents.
• No thought to collection of CFLs
• Assumption - local government would manage waste
• CPSC wrote letters to both
• CFLs are great, but ensure producer-financed
  collection system

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Example Batteries and Cell Phones
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Example Pharmaceuticals
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Where is California on EPR?

• CIWMB Approved Strategic Directive on Producer
  Responsibility Feb. 2007
• It is a core value of the CIWMB that producers
  assume the responsibility for the safe
  stewardship of their materials in order to
  promote environmental sustainability.

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California Product Stewardship Council

• MISSION
• To shift Californias product waste management
  system from one focused on government funded and
  ratepayer financed waste diversion to one that
  relies on producer responsibility in order to
  reduce public costs and drive improvements in
  product design.

caproductstewardship.org
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CPSC Participants (as of March 1, 2007)

• Alameda County
• Burbank City
• Contra Costa County
• Fresno City
• Kern County
• Los Angeles City
• Los Angeles County
• Marin County
• Moraga City
• Napa County
• Oakland City
• Palo Alto City
• Riverside County
• San Francisco City/County
• San Francisco, Port of

• San Joaquin County
• San Jose City
• San Mateo County
• Santa Barbara County
• Santa Clara County
• Santa Cruz County
• Santa Monica City
• Simi Valley City
• Sonoma County
• Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies
  Association
• California Regional Water Quality Control Board
• California Stormwater Quality Assoc.
• East Bay Municipal Utility District

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CA Local EPR Resolutions, Ordinances Plans

• 2001 Sonoma County EPR resolution
• 2006
• February San Francisco
• September Morgan Hill City ( Santa Clara Co.)
• November Marin County JPA
• November Santa Cruz City
• 2007
• January Oakland (Zero Waste Plan with EPR)
• February Santa Cruz County
• February Oakland EPR resolution
• February Sonoma Co. EPR Implementation Plan
• Pending
• Santa Clara County (Sharps U-Waste)
• San Luis Obispo County (U-Waste -takeback to
  retail)

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San Francisco EPR resolution
Whereas

• by covering the costs of collection and
  disposal, local governments are subsidizing the
  production of waste -- because manufacturers know
  that whatever they produce, the local government
  will foot the bill for recycling or disposal

Therefore, we will

• Explore EPR solutions for problem products
• Add EPR to purchasing specs
• Lobby for state EPR legislation

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California Product Stewardship Council

• Local Governments Working Together Can
• Refine and coordinate local product stewardship
  approaches, pilots.
• Develop relationships with industry, NGOs,
  research and academia.
• Provide delegates to dialogues negotiations.
• Speak with one voice to state and federal
  officials.

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Additional Information

• California Product Stewardship Councilwww.caprodu
  ctstewardship.org/
• Northwest Product Stewardship Council
  www.productstewardship.net/
• Product Policy Institute www.productpolicy.org/
• Product Stewardship Institute www.productsteward
  ship.us/
• Computer TakeBack Campaign www.computertakeback.c
  om