VERMONT ENACTS FIRST-IN-THE-NATION HHW EPR

On June 12, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed the nation’s first law, H 67, requiring producers of hazardous household products to safely collect and dispose of them. It is the eighth Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law enacted in Vermont, one of the nation’s leaders in enacting EPR laws to manage consumer products. Many household products—including cleaning fluids, varnish, paint removers, fuel additives, and gas cylinders—contain toxic and/or flammable ingredients. Known as household hazardous waste (or “HHW”), these products require special handling once consumers are finished using them. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets stringent requirements for hazardous waste generated by businesses, it does not regulate household products that contain the same hazardous materials. Read more in our Press Release.  

CONNECTICUT ENACTS FIRST-IN-THE-NATION TIRE EPR LAW

Connecticut became the first state to enact an EPR for tires law , HB 6486, which was signed by Governor Ned Lamont on June 27. The new law requires tire manufacturers to finance, operate, and report on the post-consumer management of tires they sell into the marketplace. The law is expected to decrease illegal dumping, boost tire retreading and recycling, and save municipalities and taxpayers money. Connecticut, like virtually all US states, has had significant problems with illegal tire dumping. Generators wishing to avoid disposal fees have been caught dumping tires into rivers, wooded areas, and vacant lots. With EPR, there is no disposal fee, and this will eliminate the primary incentive for illegal dumping. We know this works from the programs operating in Canada. Read more in our Press Release. 

WASHINGTON STATE ENACTS EPR FOR BATTERIES

After Governor Jay Inslee signed Washington State’s new legislation, SB 5144, on May 11th, it became the 10th state – plus Washington D.C. – to enact a battery EPR law. This law shows the strong and steady trend towards state battery EPR laws including both single-use and rechargeable batteries, as well as best practices found in all effective EPR laws – such as performance goals and convenience standards. Each passage of an EPR for batteries law has increased the types included: Washington is the first state to include batteries from e-mobility devices (e.g., bicycles, scooters, and hoverboards) and to study the opportunities and challenges of managing large-format batteries (e.g., those found in electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems), as well as batteries embedded in products, such as electronics. Read more on our blog. 

Members and Partners receive regular legislative updates and can track EPR bills and laws in our Legislation Library.

OECD PUBLISHES US 2023

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published its 2023 United States Environmental Performance Review, giving recommendations for green growth and providing an assessment on how the U.S. has been addressing marine litter. Upon invitation from OECD, Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI, submitted comments on how the US Environmental Protection Agency can integrate EPR into its policy approaches to marine litter. These recommendations, which are available to PSI Members and Partners via our Resource Library, were reflected in the final publication. Read the report here. 

 EPR LUMINARIES KICK OFF PSI'S 2023 ANNUAL MEETING

As a preview to the types of high-level conversations that we anticipate at PSI’s forthcoming U.S. Product Stewardship Forum this September, PSI CEO and Founder, Scott Cassel, kicked off the Annual Meeting by moderating a fascinating discussion among Allen Hershkowitz, who worked on the nation’s first packaging EPR bill introduced in 1992 by U.S. Senator Max Baucus (MT) and U.S. Congressman Gerry Sikorski (MN); Reid Lifset, Research Scientist at the Yale University School of the Environment who worked closely with Swedish Professor Thomas Lindquest, who coined the term EPR; and Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA, who helped establish the first packaging EPR law in the world in Germany. The group explored the evolution of EPR globally and in the US, from market-based environmentalism to the Global Plastics Treaty, including where they believe the EPR movement is headed. Read more on our blog and follow us on Instagram @ProductSteward to listen in! 

Stericycle, a leading provider of medical waste management and secure information destruction, released its second annual Healthcare Workplace Safety Trend Report revealing key perspectives and insights for improving patient and provider safety, including the challenges of managing medical and pharmaceutical waste in at-home care settings, stress and burnout, safety, and the future of wearable technology in healthcare. On the heels of immense change brought on by modernization, new technology, changing expectations—and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic—the report delivers actionable steps for healthcare organizations to help create a healthier and safer environment for their patients and staff. Visit Stericycle to learn more. Learn more. 

July 13: US Conference of Mayors,

Municipal Waste Management Association Webinar

Extended Producer Responsibility:

What It Is, What’s Happening, Where We’re Headed

On July 13th from1:00-2:00 EDT, join Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of the Product Stewardship Institute and author of “Perspectives in Product Stewardship” (forthcoming from Bernan Press, 2023), who will discuss the fundamentals of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy and its framework, highlight the policy elements that are most important for influencing upstream design for environment, and discuss some of the hottest topics in EPR policy development. Scott will comment on the status of first generation EPR programs in the US, such as paint, mattresses, and electronics, and how implementation is evolving and programs are modernizing. Scott will also cover the implementation status of new EPR laws for packaging in Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California, including how the differences among these laws provide us with the opportunity to explore different approaches and draw lessons for future policy. Register here.

PSI board members Tom Metzner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and Jen Heaton-Jones of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) and chair of the CT Product Stewardship Council were lauded for leadership on Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation tire EPR law, in Recycling Today. 

Will Grassle, PSI’s Associate, Policy & Programs, was featured in PackagingDive’s analysis of refill solutions, predicting that “we’re going to see more movement for larger, consumer-facing companies trying to catch up.” 

Fantastic conversation on the Earth911 podcast with PSI’s CEO and Founder, Scott Cassel. 

July 13, Virtual – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present at the US Conference of Mayors Municipal Waste Management Association webinar. Register here.  

August 14-16, Orlando, FL – Resource Recycling Conference, in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership. Register here.  

August 16-19, Ocean City, MD – Lelande Rehard, PSI’s Senior Associate for Policy & Programs, will present at the Maryland Association of Counites Summer 2023 Conference. Register here. 

September 11-14, Portland, OR – The 2023 Product Stewardship Forum hosted by the Product Stewardship Institute. Learn more about sponsorship and register here.  

September 26, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on packaging EPR at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition ADVANCE conference. Register here.

September 29, Boston – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on packaging EPR at SWANA WASTECON. Register here.

October 10, Minneapolis – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will follow-up the July 13 webinar with workshop on packaging EPR at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) Fall Meeting. Registration coming soon. 

October 17, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on Packaging EPR Global Trends at PSX 2023. Register here.

Maine and Connecticut Legislators urge U.S. EPA to investigate domestic textiles reuse and recycling and engage stakeholders across the industry in reducing the environmental impacts of “fast fashion”.  

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $192M for battery recycling, calling it “essential” to strengthen materials supply chains critical to the clean energy transition.  

New York's EPR for packaging bill failed to pass, despite last-minute changes intended to garner support from stakeholders including the American Chemistry Council and the Plastics Industry Association, which opposed characterization of "toxic substances" in some plastics and the exclusion of chemical recycling, among other concerns.

With clothing waste overwhelming countries like Ghana and Chile, the global discussion about textile EPR is front and center — with programs proposed in California, New York, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Italy, and discussions ongoing in the UK and EU. In the US, textile waste increased 80% over the last two decades, peaking at 17 million tons in 2018. 

In the UK, big names in the textiles industry, including Adidas and H&M Group came together with Circularity for Apparel & Footwear and Eunomia Research & Consulting to make recommendations for revisions to the textiles waste management system, including steps for effective EPR.  

E-bike battery fires in New York City have been the source of over 100 fires so far this year. A sad and unfortunate story and the reason that PSI is working with our members and partners in New York City and New York State to boost safe recovery and recycling of e-bike batteries through EPR legislation. The crisis didn't rise above other policy-makers priorities, so we'll be regrouping for next year.

International E-waste Day, an awareness campaign by the WEEE Forum, will focus on ‘invisible’ electronic waste this year to highlight the various electronics that are often overlooked when considering recyclability.  

In Phoenix a carpet recycling plant, Aquafil Carpet Collection, recovers 36 million pounds of old carpets annually, significantly reducing carbon emissions and supporting the circular economy. 

With electric vehicles on the rise, battery recycling will become necessary to keep up with the increasing demand for lithium. Not to mention, extracting lithium from recycled batteries produces 90% less greenhouse gas emissions than mining for new material.  

In May, the EPA released a memo regarding recycling lithium-ion batteries. The memo addresses key questions about regulation of batteries and permitting requirements for end-of-life and clarifies that batteries should be managed as hazardous waste.  

RLG, Valpak and Noventiz are joining forces under Reconomy to offer Comply Loop, a highly customizable global service that encompasses nearly every aspect of EPR compliance. From data management to DRS, from consulting to stewardship organizations, Comply Loop helps organizations rise to meet the increasing challenges of EPR. Learn More: Comply Loop.

CalRecycle requesting public comments on Mattress Recycling Council's 2022 Annual Report and proposed California Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling 2024 Program Budget, to be submitted to mattresses@calrecycle.ca.gov by July 20, 2023. 

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WEBINAR ARCHIVES: PHARMS AND SHARPS

This webinar was open for the entire PSI community to attend; however, the recording is accessible only to PSI’s Members and Partners.

The Product Stewardship Institute is a policy advocate and consulting 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers the emerging circular economy. We rely on the generosity of our members, partners, and supporters to convene diverse stakeholders to build extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies, programs, and laws. Thank you!

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.