New York and Product

Stewardship
New York Product Stewardship Council
contact@nypsc.org
917-597-2119

www.NYPSC.org

1
 An overview of today’s presentation
• What is the waste management problem facing New York and
the U.S. today?
• What is Product Stewardship and Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR)?
• Why is New York focusing on product stewardship and EPR?
• The New York Product Stewardship Council (NYPSC)
• How to get involved

2
 What is the Problem?
• Hundreds of products that we use every day
•Products reach end of life & must be disposed of and
managed properly
•Result in a lot of garbage – 250 BILLION tons/year

3
Most of these environmental impacts
are INVISIBLE to consumers.
• Finite virgin resources mined, processed and manufactured
• Greenhouse gases produced;
29% from products

25,000 lbs. of minerals extracted from the earth per person, per year!

4
 Some products contain toxins

BPA, endocrine Petrochemicals,

volatile organic Pharmaceutical
disruptors compounds
4 mg mercury compounds
Beryllium, PVC,
brominated flame
retardants, lead,
copper

Nickel, 4 lbs lead;

lithium, barium, nickel,
cadmium 4 g mercury
cadmium, rare
0.8 g mercury Brominated earth metals
flame retardants

5
Some products are bulky and hard to
manage at end-of-life.

6
 We expect local governments to
manage our complex waste stream

…and spend millions of tax dollars.

7
…but, in turn, we end up spending
millions in tax dollars to pay for it.

8
 We also waste valuable commodities.
3.38 2.73 0.62 Food
3.84 (2%) (2%) (<1%)
6.61 (2%) Plastics
(4%) 33.79
(21%)
Paper and paperboard
8.4
(5%) Yard trimmings
Wood
11.15
(7%) Steel
Textiles
11.19 2010 US MSW Disposal Glass
(7%)
Millions of Tons Rubber and leather
28.49
(percent) (17%) Miscellaneous inorganic wastes
13.58 Other materials
(8%)
Aluminum
14.2
26.74 Other nonferrous metals
(9%)
(16%)

Source: 2010 U.S. EPA Municipal Solid Waste Report, Facts and Figures.
9
 This is not sustainable!
Total MSW Generation and Recovery, 1960-2010
300
Total MSW Waste (in Millions of Tons)

250

200

150 Generation
Recovery
100

50

0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year
Source: PSI compilation of data from 2010 U.S. EPA Municipal Solid Waste Report, Facts and Figures.

10
The consequences are profound.

Environmental

Social

Economic

11
 So What Can We Do?

• Optimize Current System or

• Transform It?

• Implement Voluntary Programs or

• Regulatory Programs?

12
 How Do We Optimize the Current
System?
• “Pay-as-you-throw” (unit pricing)
• Public education
• Landfill bans/mandatory recycling
• Recycled content standards
• Invest in upgraded recycling facility equipment
• Improve communication between end-markets &
manufacturing process (closed loop recycling)

13
How Do We Transform the
Current System?

Product
Stewardship

Extended
Producer
Responsibility
(EPR)

14
 What is Product Stewardship?
• Minimizing health, safety,
environmental, and social
impacts

• Maximizing economic benefits of

a product and its packaging

• Considering all lifecycle stages,

from design to end-of-life

• Either voluntary or required by

law

15
Who’s Involved in Product
Stewardship?
• The producer of the product has
the greatest ability to
minimize adverse impacts.

• Many other stakeholders

play a role, too.

16
What is Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR)?
• Mandatory product stewardship

• Producer’s responsibility for product

extends to post-consumer
management of product and
packaging at end-of-life

• Central tenet of product stewardship

17
 Product Stewardship and EPR
Product Stewardship:
Lifecycle and Sustainability
Voluntary or mandatory

EPR:
End-of-life
Mandatory only

18
 Essential Characteristics of EPR
EPR: Not Prescriptive
• Government sets parameters, but allows flexibility for
producers to determine the most cost-effective
solutions within those parameters
• Flexibility promotes a market-based solution to meet
goals

EPR: Industry-Run
• Government oversees law, but producers are
responsible for implementation

19
EPR: Changing How Waste is Financed
and Managed
Current Practice: Taxpayers/Governments pay
EPR: Manufacturers/Product Purchasers pay
• Recycling collection/infrastructure built into product price or
company’s cost of doing business

• Producers responsible for financing and managing their products at

end-of-life

• Producers internalize costs of reducing environmental externalities

(unintended consequences)

20
Benefits
of Product
Stewardship:

21
EPR shifts the costs and responsibility
off government, even if
government keeps
collecting.

22
 That means tax dollars can be used
to meet other needs in the
community…

…instead of paying to recycle

or dispose of our old products.

23
 Why is New York focusing on
Product Stewardship and EPR?
• Local governments can’t solve this
problem on their own!

• Recycling rates are plateauing in NY

• New state property tax cap means local

governments are seeking cost-saving
measures

24
 Development of New York Product
Stewardship Council (NYPSC)
• Created out of NECESSITY in March 2009 by NYS
Association for Solid Waste Management
• Lots of support!
 NYSAR3
 NY-SWANA
 Federation of NY Solid Waste Management
Associations
 Product Policy Institute
 Product Stewardship Institute, Inc.

25
 Who is the NYPSC today?
Multi-stakeholder council with membership from:
• NY local governments
• Businesses
• Recycling professionals
• Members of the environmental community

Goals:
• To support sound product stewardship policies
• To develop and recommend workable product
stewardship polices, provide leadership and guidance
• Educate all stakeholders on benefits

26
 Priorities
• Build and educate our support base  engage more
local governments
• Implement and strengthen current legislation (e.g.,
rechargeable batteries, electronics)
• Pass new legislation on new product categories (e.g.,
paint, carpeting, pharmaceuticals, thermostats, CFLs)

27
 Get Involved!
Become an NYPSC Member or Partner:
• Stay informed on proposed legislation and new EPR laws
and regulations
• Learn more about product stewardship
• Join the voice of NY local government to support new
legislation

www.NYPSC.org

28
 Get Involved!
Become a PSI Member or Partner, too:
• Stay informed on proposed national legislation, new EPR
laws, and regulations in all 50 states that could impact New
York
• Gain access to an international network of product
stewardship and EPR experts
• Participate in strategic planning calls and meetings for
product stewardship initiatives nationwide
www.productstewardship.us

29
 Take Advantage of Existing Programs
Get Involved!
Participate in available collection programs:

30
 Get Involved!
Pass a product stewardship resolution:
Our website includes examples of local product
stewardship resolutions from New York and the U.S.,
as well as a model resolution you can adapt for your
own community.

Visit: www.nypsc.org/content/local-resolutions

31
Thank You to Our Partners
for Their Support
Platinum Partner

For more information on becoming an NYPSC Member or Partner,

visit www.NYPSC.org.

32
Thank You to Our Partners
for Their Support
Gold Partners

33
Thank You to Our Partners
for Their Support
Silver Partners

34
 Thank You!
New York Product Stewardship Council
Marjorie Torelli, Administrator

contact@nypsc.org
917-597-2119
www.NYPSC.org

35