NWPSC November 2021 Newsletter
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 11/22/2021 09:16 AM PSTNovember 2021
EPR, Packaging, and Plastics
RENEW Act EPR bill in Washington State
In the upcoming 2022 Washington State legislative session, a bill to modernize residential recycling in Washington will be introduced, called the RENEW Act. The bill builds upon SB 5022 and HB 1118 from the last legislative session and includes extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging and paper products (PPP).
The RENEW Act would require producers to fund and coordinate a responsible statewide recycling system that increases reuse and recycling, and provides universal and convenient recycling for all residents across the state. It would also require that all packaging and paper products are reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The bill would create a circular economy for PPP in Washington, increase the amount of materials that are collected and recycled responsibly, create new markets by requiring producers to use the materials in new products and packaging, enhance the domestic processing infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gases, and create new jobs in Washington.
To learn more about the RENEW Act, WSRA is hosting two free webinars discussing the legislation:
- Packaging EPR 101: November 22 webinar, 9-10:30am
- Fall Policy Forum - Packaging EPR, Batteries, and Organics bills: December 2 webinar
Oregon and Maine pass Packaging EPR laws
Oregon passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (SB 582) this summer, with recycling program changes starting in July 2025. This new law will update Oregon’s outdated recycling system by building on local community programs and leveraging the resources of producers to create an innovative system that works for everyone. Fact sheets, a timeline, discussion video and more are available on the Oregon DEQ website. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition created a detailed summary of the law. And Waste Dive covered the news of the law's passage.
Maine passed LD 1541, an act to support and improve municipal recycling programs and save taxpayer money, this summer. The law establishes an EPR program for packaging, requires producers of products to pay into a fund based on the amount and the recyclability of packaging associated with their products, and these funds will be used to reimburse municipalities for eligible recycling and waste management costs, make investments in recycling infrastructure, and help Maine citizens understand how to recycle. Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection has begun stakeholder outreach and will initiate rulemaking by December 2023. The Boston Globe and the Natural Resource Council of Maine covered the news, while Resource Recycling compared and contrasted the Maine and Oregon laws.
Washington batteries EPR bill
An EPR bill for batteries that would establish a battery stewardship program to ensure proper handling, recycling, and end-of-life management of used batteries will be introduced in Washington State's 2022 legislative session. The bill would increase collection, reuse, and recycling of batteries, and reduce the safety risks for waste management workers and facilities. Batteries are a concern because of the toxic or corrosive materials they contain, but also because improper disposal can lead to fires at in waste management trucks and facilities. Washington previously considered, but did not pass, a battery bill in 2013. Learn more about the bill at the WSRA Fall Policy Forum December 2.
Existing EPR programs in Oregon and Washington
Both states already have multiple producer responsibility programs for certain products, which offer convenient, safe, recycling or disposal: PaintCare in both states, electronics recycling by Oregon E-Cycles and E-Cycle Washington, mercury-containing lights in Washington, drug take back or safe medication return in Oregon and Washington, solar panels in Washington, and now Oregon's packaging EPR recycling modernization act.
Events & Webinars
- Packaging EPR 101: November 22 webinar from Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA)
-
Fall Policy Forum - packaging and batteries EPR: Dec. 2 webinar from WSRA
- PaintCare Washington: July 15 webinar from WSRA
- Clean Materials as an Economic Engine: May 25 webinar from CSI
- Rolling out the Carpet to Recycling and the Circular Economy: May 25-26 webinars from PSI
- EPR Master Class, Part 3: May 27 third webinar in a series of webinars from ISWA, EXPRA, and PSI
- Three Faces of Extended Producer Responsibility: April 27 webinar from Conference on Canadian Stewardship
- Unmasking and understand the waste stream: March 6 webinar from Discard Studies
- 2021 Plastics Policies Roundup: Feb. 25 webinar from UPSTREAM
- Rewarding Recycling - learnings from the world's highest-performing deposit return systems: Feb. 23 webinar from TOMRA
- Recycled content policy, targets, and measurement: Feb. 11 webinar from Reloop and Eunomia
- Plastic Waste Exports and the new Basel Convention Rules: Jan. 12 webinar from e-Stewards
- What Packaging EPR means for Haulers and MRFs: Dec. 16 webinar from PSI, ISWA, EXPRA
- The United States of Plastic - a conversation with Dr. Jenna Jambeck and Dr. Kara Lavender Law: Dec. 16 webinar from UPSTREAM
- EPR Master Class: series of webinars from ISWA, EXPRA, and PSI
- National Policy Town Hall on National Legislation and Regulations: November 5 webinar from NRC
- Resolving plastic packaging waste: Can deposit return provide a breakthrough? Sept. 29 webinar from Euractiv
- Duke Plastics Policy Inventory: June 24 webinar
- From Waste Management to Clean Materials: June 18 webinar from Center for Sustainable Infrastructure (CSI)
- Deposit Return Systems (DRS) for beverage containers: June 16 webinar from Zero Waste Europe
- The Future of Plastics - how do we move to a new plastics economy? May 14 webinar from Univ. of Oxford
- Indisposible: the Safety and Future of Reuse: April 30 webinar from Upstream
- E-cycling and COVID-19: challenges, opportunities, and changes: webinar video from e-Stewards
- EPR for Packaging in Europe: video of Dec. 5, 2019 webinar with Clarissa Morawski of Reloop Platform
- National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC) webinars: www.nsaction.us/webinars
- Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) webinars: www.productstewardship.us/page/Webinar-Recordings
- Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) webinars: sustainablepackaging.org/events/virtual
- Upstream webinars: www.upstreamsolutions.org/videos
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.
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