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.