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Product Stewardship Updates
July 2, 2024
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION | |
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It has been another remarkable year for EPR in the United States! With unrelenting dedication and collaboration, PSI and our Members and Partners have achieved even more EPR legislative milestones. So far this year, four new EPR laws have been enacted, including first-in-the nation laws in New Jersey for EV batteries and Minnesota for boat wrap, as well as five amendments to update existing EPR programs. One additional EPR bill for batteries in Illinois and an amendment to Illinois’ paint EPR law have passed the state legislatures and are expected to be signed into law.
In January, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. to enact EPR for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries, continuing the trend of addressing new batteries not previously included in EPR laws. In line with this trend, Vermont expanded its existing primary battery EPR law – a 2014 first-in-the-nation law – to include medium format primary batteries, battery-containing devices, and rechargeable batteries. This amendment, based on best practices from PSI’s battery EPR model, was spearheaded by Jen Holliday, PSI board member and chair of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council (VTPSC).
Minnesota, in May, enacted a first-in-the-nation EPR program for boat wrap and the fifth state EPR law for packaging. The Partnership on Waste and Energy (PWE), lead advocate for the packaging bill, was staffed by PSI board member Mallory Anderson (Hennepin County) and PSI member Dan Donkers (Ramsey County), who worked for nearly three years to achieve this success. In 2021, PWE hired PSI to develop the initial packaging bill for the state, which was based on PSI’s packaging EPR policy model. The early stakeholder agreements that PSI facilitated established a strong foundation that ultimately resulted in the final law.
Also in May, Maryland enacted the nation’s 13th paint EPR program, following multiple years of coordinated effort by both PSI and the American Coatings Association (ACA), a long-time PSI partner. These fully harmonized laws are the result of PSI’s success in mediating a model EPR bill nearly two decades ago among ACA, state and local governments, and other stakeholders. Once Maryland’s law is implemented, PaintCare, also a long-time PSI partner, will be providing 33% of the U.S. population with convenient, effective paint collection and recycling services.
The success of this legislative season reflects the dedication of PSI and our Members and Partners to decades of EPR capacity building, collaborative policy development, and coalition building. The PSI team looks forward to continuing our work together to create a sustainable and healthy future for all through EPR!
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ILLINOIS BATTERY EPR BILL ON GOVERNORS DESK | |
Illinois’ battery EPR bill, championed by PSI board members Christina Seibert and Walter Willis, passed both houses of the legislature and was sent on June 21, 2024, to Governor JB Pritzker for signing. SB 3686 / HB 5348 creates a new EPR program for portable and medium format primary and rechargeable batteries in Illinois. The bill was developed with technical support from PSI staff and incorporates best practices from PSI’s battery EPR model, including funding for state oversight, convenience goals, and a scope that covers all battery chemistries. The same PSI model has helped shape similar laws in Washington D.C., California, and Washington State in recent years. The Illinois legislation earned support from a broad array of stakeholders, including the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association, Call2Recycle, Illinois Product Stewardship Council, Illinois Recycling Association and Foundation, multiple municipal and county governments and associations, various waste hauling companies, and the National Waste and Recycling Association. When enacted, the battery law will be the state's sixth EPR law and will increase the total number of battery EPR laws in the U.S. to 16. | |
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PSI ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS AND PARTNERS
A Conversation with Canadian EPR Pioneers
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Duncan Bury
Environment Canada and Duncan Bury Consulting
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Ron Driedger
Formerly of the BC Ministry
of Environment
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PSI’s Annual Meeting of Members and Partners, held June 26, featured an engaging discussion between PSI’s CEO and Founder Scott Cassel and Canadian EPR pioneers Ron Driedger (formerly of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment) and Duncan Bury (formerly of Environment Canada). Both Ron and Duncan played foundational roles in shaping early EPR programs in Canada. Their work also inspired many U.S. EPR pioneers, including PSI’s board president Abby Boudouris and PSI’s own Scott Cassel, who first heard about EPR from Ron Driedger at a North American Hazardous Materials Management Association conference.
The insightful discussion delved into how Ron and Duncan first engaged with EPR policy, the challenges encountered during Canada’s transition to EPR policies, the crucial role that municipal governments play in advancing EPR policy, and other valuable lessons gleaned from their extensive careers. Ron and Duncan also discussed the similarities and differences among EPR programs across provinces and products and the ever-present desire for, and challenge of achieving, harmonization – a challenge that we share in the United States. Today, Canada and the U.S. remain strongly connected on EPR, as we share insights and innovations across the border and at each other’s conferences, and increasingly work toward a common North American EPR landscape. How far we’ve come!
Thank you to all who joined the event! The recording of this conversation and the rest of PSI’s 2024 annual meeting – including the president’s address, financial report, year in review, and board election results – is now available to Members and Partners in the Resource Library.
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CANADIAN STEWARDSHIP CONFERENCE | |
If you enjoyed the conversation with Ron and Duncan, we hope you’ll join Scott Cassel at the iconic Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on September 24 and 25, 2024 for the Canadian Stewardship Conference. For the past two decades, the Canadian Stewardship Conference has brought together industry leaders, government policymakers, business operators, and innovators from across Canada, the United States, and Europe to compare insights and intelligence on what we can expect from the next phase of EPR. Scott will facilitate the U.S. EPR updates session on the first day, continuing to foster cross-border EPR dialogue for joint learning and problem solving. A big turnout is expected at the conference, as EPR evolves from compliance to optimization. Learn more and register. | |
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PAINT EPR WEBINAR
Recording Available Now!
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By January 2026, PaintCare, the highly successful paint stewardship program, will serve 31% of the U.S. population across 12 states and the District of Columbia. Last month, PSI and PaintCare co-hosted “U.S. Paint EPR: Insights from a Decade of PaintCare Programs,” a webinar that explored the many successes of the program – including the creation of 2,400 collection sites, 70 million gallons collected a 74% rate of combined recycling and reuse, and municipal savings of more than $395 million. Moderated by PSI’s Lelande Rehard, speakers included Jeremy Jones from PaintCare, Megan Warfield of Washington Ecology, and Nadja Karpilow from the Mid-America Region Commission Solid Waste Management District in Missouri. The webinar covered lessons learned and recommendations for passing legislation and implementing the program, the continued expansion of the PaintCare into aerosol coatings, and the emerging landscape of packaging and HHW EPR laws as they relate to the PaintCare program. | |
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Here are some typical attendee comments:
“Excellent speakers and content!”
“Loved the diversity of panelists, and the range of experiences. Made for a great discussion, super educational.”
“Very well done and focused on pragmatic information.”
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4-PART WEBINAR SERIES:
Preparing Producers for Oregon Packaging EPR
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In June, PSI kicked off a four-part series of educational webinars to inform producers about their upcoming obligations under Oregon’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging. The webinars, which are coordinated by PSI, are being conducted on behalf of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and in partnership with Circular Action Alliance (the producer responsibility organization operating in Oregon). The June webinar focused on the specific obligations of producers of food serviceware. Additional webinars will address printing and writing paper (July 16), e-commerce and online retail packaging (August 6), and consumer goods and B2B packaging (September 10).
The recording of the June webinar is now available on PSI’s website, where registration is open for the remaining three webinars. Watch recording.
If you are a producer selling packaging into Oregon, don’t miss this opportunity to learn about your compliance obligations under Oregon’s EPR law and ways to stay abreast of regulatory developments.
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Welcome New Partners!
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PSI Partners are leaders in business, academia, environmental nonprofits, and international governments who work with PSI and our U.S. government members on product stewardship policy and emerging legislation through shared intelligence and strategic alliances. Depending on engagement level, Partners gain access to exclusive benefits that cover PSI’s 20+ years of product stewardship policy and legislative development across multiple product categories. We also provide policy intelligence briefings for Partners, who often develop proprietary consulting projects with PSI. And we offer significant marketing benefits, including sponsorship opportunities. | |
A MUST-READ FOR ALL EPR PROFESSIONALS! | |
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PERSPECTIVES ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP:
Navigating an extended producer
responsibility path to a circular economy
by Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI
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Learn about the emergence of the EPR movement in the U.S., Canada, and Europe; the basic elements of all effective EPR bills; how to build consensus with other stakeholders; and key definitions, terminology, and issues. Includes in-depth case studies on packaging, paint, and batteries. | |
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New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) is seeking a Director to lead its statewide technology development, transfer, and assistance center whose mission is to make New York State more environmentally sustainable for businesses, workers, and the public through more efficient use of raw materials, energy and water, and reductions in toxic chemical use, emissions to the environment and waste generation. Interested parties may contact info@sustainability.rit.edu for additional information.
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Triumvirate Environmental acquired Photech Environmental Solutions Inc. and Loop Recycled Products. A paint recycler, Loop Recycled Products serves the PaintCare program and is a founding member of the International Paint Recycling Association (IPRA), an organization co-founded by PSI in 2018. IPRA works to strengthen the market for recycled paint across the US. Read more.
PSI Partner Waste Management (WM) is set to acquire Stericycle, another PSI Partner and a leader in medical waste services. This acquisition will allow WM to expand in the growing healthcare market. The deal is expected to be finalized as early as the fourth quarter of 2024, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. Read more.
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Waste 360 recently published an article on how producers should approach preparing for EPR legislation, focusing on key topics such as early producer participation and multistakeholder engagement. Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI, provided comment for the article, emphasizing that producer engagement is “critical to ensure that their practical insights and industry-specific knowledge informs EPR policy.” | |
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NAHMMA Hazardous Materials Management Conference
September 22-27 – Austin, TX: Lelande Rehard, Policy and Programs Manager at PSI, will be participating in two sessions at the NAHMMA Hazardous Materials Management Conference. Alongside Shelly Fuller, Hazardous Materials Program Manager for Boulder County, Lelande will present on the challenges and opportunities of vape product waste management. He will also deliver a presentation on leveraging GIS software for enhanced hazardous materials management and product stewardship advocacy. Register here.
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PACKAGING EPR: Packaging Strategies (paywalled) recently reported on a keynote presentation on packaging EPR by Alison Keane, former President and CEO of the Flexible Packaging Association, at the Global Pouch Forum. Read more.
BRITISH COLUMBIA EPR: Resource Recycling recounts the many successes of EPR in British Columbia and outlines what might be on the horizon for the province. Read more.
MASSACHUSETTS EPR: The Massachusetts Senate has passed the Plastics Reduction Act, an EPR related bill that bans the retail sale of carry out plastic bags, creates a statewide recycling program for large plastic objects such as car seats, and includes a study of EPR for packaging, paint, mattresses and electronics. The bill is now headed to the House. Read more.
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The Product Stewardship Institute is a policy expert and consulting nonprofit that pioneered product stewardship in the United States. Since 2000, PSI has helped enact 139 extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws across 19 product categories in 33 states — the bedrock on which the circular economy is built. We work with businesses, nonprofits, academia, and governments to ensure that products are responsibly managed from design to end of life. Join us at www.productstewardship.us. | |
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The Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Persons with disabilities who require alternatively formatted materials to ensure effective communication should contact Amanda Nicholson at info@productstewardship.us or 617.236.4855.
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