November 2016

Legislation & Programs

Paint Recycling event
We've all had leftover paint at one point or another. Are you tired of drying out your unused latex paint with kitty litter? Hear from Clark County, the American Coatings Association, Stericycle, and PaintCare, and tour MetroPaint to see how paint is sorted, batched and made back into latex paint. Then focus on how to make paint recycling happen in Washington! Register now for this December 1 paint recycling event in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR, brought to you by the Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA).

PaintCare Minnesota "greatly exceeded" recycling expectations
In its first full year of paint collection and recycling, the PaintCare Minnesota stewardship program recycled over 1 million gallons of paint, 26% more than expected, according to an article in the Star Tribune. PaintCare, the nonprofit stewardship organization funded by paint manufacturers, set up "193 drop-off sites for used paint inside hardware and paint stores" or 27% of all the paint stores in Minnesota. 93% of Minnesota residents have a collection site within 15 miles of their residence.

Secure Medicine Return
Kitsap Public Health Board and Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health are considering secure medicine return regulations similar to those in Snohomish County and King County. Kitsap Public Health Board will vote on Dec. 6, and Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health will vote on their regulation Dec. 7, 2016 and both seek public comments.
Other medicine take back programs:

• Walgreens installed "more than 500 safe medication disposal kiosks this year at its pharmacies in 35 states" for unwanted medicines, at no cost, during pharmacy hours, including 10 in Washington and 6 in Oregon.
• The Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) October 22 National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected and properly disposed of 731,269 pounds (almost 366 tons) of medication at almost 5200 collection sites nationwide. Washington state collected 9.6 tons, Oregon 4 tons, Idaho 1.6 tons, and Alaska 1 ton.

Battery recycling in Vermont goes up under product stewardship
Since Vermont's battery product stewardship law went into effect on the first of this year, requiring battery stewards to pay for the collection and recycling of their products, Chittenden Solid Waste District recycled almost 18,000 lbs. of used batteries, "well above its battery shipments for any recent year. Single-use batteries make up more than half of the 2016 battery shipments – in distinct contrast to the period between 1999 and 2015, when rechargeable batteries comprised 80% of all shipments." Call2Recycle expects this "upward trend in battery recycling to continue as more Vermont residents find out about the single-use battery program. The volume of single-use batteries being dropped off for recycling should greatly exceed that of rechargeable batteries from now on." 96% of Vermont residents have a Call2Recycle collection site within 10 miles of their homes.

EPR program recycles 150,000 mattresses in Connecticut
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) extended producer responsibility (EPR) program in Connecticut completed its first annual report. Since the May 2015 start, the program recycled 150,000 mattresses through 101 free drop-off sites. The MRC is the nonprofit organization which manages EPR programs created by laws enacted in Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island. In those states, residents can drop-off used mattresses at participating collection sites, collection events and recycling facilities free of charge, funded by the $9 recycling fee that Connecticut consumers pay when they buy a new mattress or box spring (Rhode Island and California have separate fees). The fee provides for collection containers, transporting the discarded mattresses and recycling costs.

LightRecycle Washington satisfaction survey
The Washington Department of Ecology is conducting a survey about satisfaction with the LightRecycle Washington product stewardship program for mercury-containing lights. Complete the 1-minute survey by Nov. 20, 2016.
LightRecycle is a manufacturer operated product stewardship program run by PCA Product Stewardship, a nonprofit, and overseen by the Washington Department of Ecology under the state's mercury lights law. LightRecycle allows individuals and businesses to recycle up to 10 mercury-containing lights per day at over 220 collection sites throughout Washington – find a location near you.

News & Resources

Job: Washington Dept. of Ecology
The Washington Department of Ecology Waste 2 Resources Program is hiring a Statewide Resources Section Manager located in Lacey, Washington. The position is open until filled.

Zero Waste Living
Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner takes us through the Zero Waste Movement in a YouTube video from the perspective of the millenial generation.

America Recycles Day
November 15 is America Recycles Day with nationwide recycling events. President Obama's proclamation encouraged "all Americans to continue their reducing, reusing, and recycling efforts throughout the year."

Upcoming Events

• PaintCare Minnesota annual report review (webinar): Nov. 16, 8-9am Pacific
• Recycling collection programs: a bigger pinch point than we thought (webinar): Nov. 17, 10-11:30am Pacific
• How do packaging EPR programs impact cost of goods and product design? (webinar): Nov. 21, 9-10:30am Pacific
• Paint Recycling: More Fun Than Watching it Dry (workshop): Dec. 1, 2016 9am-3:30pm, Vancouver, WA
• Exploring the Circular Economy and how EPR fits in (webinar): Dec. 13, 7:30-9am Pacific

Engage with the Northwest Product Stewardship Council
Add your voice and join the Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC) as an Associate, Steering, or Community member.
Follow the NWPSC on Twitter (@StewardshipNW) for product stewardship information from Washington, Oregon and elsewhere.

---

The Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC) is a coalition of government agencies in Washington and Oregon working on solid waste, recycling, resource conservation, environmental protection, public health and other issues. Together with non-government agencies, businesses and individuals, we form a network that supports product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies and programs. For more information, contact info@productstewardship.net or visit us at www.ProductStewardship.net.

Subscribe to the NWPSC Newsletter. For current subscribers: update your email, password, or unsubscribe on the Subscriber Preferences Page (you will need to use your email address to log in). If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

---