NWPSC March 2021 Newsletter

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 04/01/2021 02:28 PM PDT

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March 2021

PaintCare Washington

New paint EPR program begins April 1PaintCare logo
The long awaited statewide paint producer responsibility program operated by PaintCare, enacted in 2019, and overseen by the Dept. of Ecology, began April 1, 2021!

PaintCare has set up 150 drop-off sites throughout the state where the public can take unwanted paint for recycling. These sites are available to households, businesses, government agencies, and others with leftover paint in Washington. Watch this short PaintCare video to learn more (YouTube) and visit www.PaintCare.org/wa to find a location near you.

Legislation

Washington product stewardship bills (session runs Jan. 11 to April 26):Washington needs producer responsibility (YouTube screen shot)
Packaging: SB 5022 was introduced as a packaging producer responsibility bill, but a substitute bill (2SSB 5022) was adopted that contains three elements: requiring minimum recycled content for plastic beverage containers, trash bags, and household cleaning and personal care product containers; banning the sale and distribution of certain expanded polystyrene (EPS) products; requiring single-use food service-ware be offered only on request. The substitute bill passed the Senate March 2, amended as E2SSB (Engrossed 2nd Substitute), passed the House Environment committee on March 23, and is in House Appropriations.

SB 5022's companion, HB 1118, did not receive a hearing, retains its producer responsibility system requirements (a coordinated, transparent statewide system for recycling, process, and market development that is funded by the producers of PPP), and remains in the House to possibly be considered again in 2022, the second year of the biennium.

Safe Medication Return: HB 1161, which makes adjustments to the existing Safe Medication Return law that began statewide collection recently, passed the House March 8, Senate committee March 22, and awaits a Rules vote.

Solar PV module stewardship delay: HB 1393, which would further delay by another two years, until 2025, the implementation of the photovoltaic (PV) module stewardship and takeback program (enacted in 2017), passed the House Feb. 25 and the Senate March 29 and now awaits the Governor's signature.

Right to Repair: HB 1212, concerning the fair servicing and repair of digital electronic products, was heard in the House Consumer Protection & Business committee but did not move forward by the cutoff. Right to Repair legislation has been introduced, but not passed, each year since 2017.

Wind turbine blade recycling: SB 5174, which would require manufacturers to finance the takeback and recycling of wind turbine blades, passed the Senate Environment committee, Ways & Means committee, and but did not pass the Senate by the cutoff. 

Visit Zero Waste Washington to learn more about other legislation.

Oregon product stewardship bills (session runs Jan. 19 to June 28):
Modernizing Oregon's recycling system: SB 582-1 is the result of the Recycling Steering Committee (RSC), convened for two years to modernize Oregon's recycling system, which would require producers of covered products to join a producer responsibility organization, submit a program plan to DEQ, and to reimburse local governments for certain expenses, among other requirements of a statewide EPR system for consumer brands and packaging producers. The bill had a hearing and now has a work session scheduled April 8. The National Law Review and OPB covered the legislation which has become SB 582-1.

Mattress stewardship: SB 570 had a hearing January 28 and has a work session scheduled April 1. 

Right to Repair: HB 2698 had a hearing and has a work session scheduled April 7.

HHW stewardship: HB 2955, which establishes a product stewardship program for household hazardous waste (HHW), had a hearing, passed out of committee March 29 and awaits Ways & Means. 

Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act
Introduced last year, sponsors Rep. Lowenthal and Sen. Merkley re-introduced federal legislation in March - the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act - that would create nationwide extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging, minimum-recycled-content mandates for certain products, a national container deposit, single-use plastic product bans, and a three-year pause on new virgin plastics production facilities. Multiple organizations held online kick-off/rallies in support of the legislation.

Sen. Merkley said "we can not only save ourselves from all the harm that’s caused by plastic pollution, but we can also create good-paying American jobs by spurring massive investments in domestic recycling and composting infrastructure." The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which promotes chemical recycling technologies, called the proposal a “misguided and harmful piece of legislation."

John Oliver's HBO show Last Week Tonight had a segment on plastic, producer responsibility, and the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act where he said that "real behavior change has to come from plastics manufacturers themselves - without that, nothing significant is going to happen." In about 20 minutes of humor and colorful language Oliver manages to paint an accurate portrait of the history of and problems with plastics and packaging, including clips with David Allaway of Oregon and Roland Geyer of California. The Guardian covered the HBO show. Read the Product Stewardship Institute's (PSI) news release on the Act.

Programs & News

EPR for Packaging: then and now
UPSTREAM reflects on recent ups and downs in extended producer responsibility legislation in a thoughtful blog article. "EPR for packaging is a foundational policy for a circular economy, and we need to get it firmly established in the United States. The US has been the holdover from the rest of the Global North and increasingly the Global South. The same companies that are still trying to resist EPR here are happily living with it (or coexisting peaceably) elsewhere... EPR is not a panacea. And it’s not the ceiling, it’s the floor."

Carpet industry to pay $1 million for recycling failures
The stewardship organization representing carpet manufacturers - Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) - will pay the state of California by June 15, 2021, "$1,175,000 in penalties for its repeated failure from 2013 through 2016 to meet recycling and landfill diversion goals under California’s Carpet Product Stewardship Law," according to a March 30 CalRecycle news release. Under law, a carpet stewardship organization "shall not expend funds from the assessment to pay penalties."

California landfills an estimated 1.2 billion pounds (627,926 tons) of carpet each year. From 2013 through 2016 California’s Carpet Product Stewardship law required the CARE to make continuous meaningful improvement to carpet recycling. CalRecycle launched an initial enforcement action against CARE in March 2017, citing the group’s repeated failure to demonstrate continuous meaningful improvement in carpet recycling rates and other program goals: the carpet recycling rate went down, from 12.2% in 2013 to 10.9% in 2016.

While California is the only state with a carpet EPR law, according to Resource Recycling, four states are considering carpet EPR bills this year: Minnesota, Illinois, New York, and Oregon.

EPA grant for Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities
EPA  Region 10 announced a grant funding opportunity open to state and local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and schools to "improve community health, resilience, and/or sustainability through pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management implementation." EPA is hosting two informational webinars and applications are due April 30.

Events & Webinars

Engage with the Northwest Product Stewardship Counciltwitter icon 30x30
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.

Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC)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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