NWPSC February 2023 Newsletter

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 02/22/2023 04:40 PM PST

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February 2023

Programs & News

LCA Study Finds Significant Favorable Impact of Mattress EPR in California
The Mattress Recycling Council published the results of a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) they conducted on California’s mattress stewardship program. In 2021, the California program recycled 1.6 million mattresses. Of the 40.7 thousand metric tons of materials recovered, 31.4 thousand tons (77%) were recycled, and 9.3 thousand tons (23%) were landfilled. This meant 75 million pounds of GHG emissions were avoided, and 818 million gallons of water were saved.

U.S. Recycling Could Hit 75% With ‘Itty-Bitty’ Fees for Extended Producer Responsibility
Forbes: The Recycling Partnership is out with a report that looked at the impact of EPR in seven jurisdictions worldwide and six U.S. states. They found that EPR programs in states would increase overall residential recycling rates by up to 48% and as high as 75%. Regarding claims that EPR increases consumer prices, Dylan de Thomas, VP of Public Policy & Government Affairs said: “It does not increase costs at the grocery store for consumers. The consumer just notices that their recycling program gets better, or maybe remains the same if they’re in a big city. EPR fees for producers are “itty-bitty” or fractions of a penny per package.

Seattle Public Utilities in favor of EPR, WRAP Act
Seattle Public Utilities recently voiced their support of the Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act, arguing that although Seattle has developed a very successful recycling program over the years, it is impossible to keep up with the rapid changes in the packaging industry. McKenna Morrigan, strategic advisor for waste prevention and product stewardship for Seattle Public Utilities, discusses in the article how the WRAP Act was constructed through years of policy discussions, stating, “[the WRAP Act] represented the culmination of that policy discussion and really represents a very thoughtful and well-refined approach that is going to meet the needs of Washington cities and other stakeholders in the industry and make a meaningful difference.”

King County: Re+ (zero waste)Re+ (zero waste) program logo
Re+ is King County’s approach to keeping valuable materials out of the landfill and reducing climate impacts. The mission of Re+ is to reduce single-use items, reuse everything that can be reused, recycle what’s left, renew communities, and rethink what’s possible. Key actions of Re+ include EPR for packaging and paper products, circular economy grants, statewide organics legislation, and more.

Oregon’s bottle bill system CEO talks tech improvements, refillables and the prospects for a national system
The CEO of the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, Jules Bailey, was interviewed by Waste Dive to discuss recent changes to Oregon’s bottle bill, upcoming and anticipated updates to the program, the success of the refillable glass bottle segment of the program, and how extended producer responsibility for packaging and bottle bills can coexist.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging Law (Explained)
This fun and educational video, developed by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, provides a high-level overview of how EPR programs function and explains the multitude of benefits associated with EPR for packaging programs.

Legislation

Oregon

  • Update to Oregon Drug Take-Back Program: SB 411 would amend Oregon's drug take-back EPR program to add certain hospitals, medical and infectious waste incinerators to facilities at which covered drugs may be disposed. This amendment is essential to update the current pharmaceuticals law to ensure more opportunities and outlets for proper disposal. This bill was introduced on January 9th and was then referred to the Senate Health Care Committee.
  • Modernizing Oregon E-Cycles: HB 3220 would amend the Oregon E-Cycles EPR program to increase the scope of covered electronic products and shift DEQ's role from operations to oversight. These amendments are necessary to properly update the 2009 e-cycles program to increase administrative efficiencies while maintaining and ensuring the program’s success in the future. This bill was introduced on February 9th, and was referred to the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment.

Non-EPR Waste & Recycling Bills

  • Foam-Free Oregon: SB 543 would prohibit the use of polystyrene foam foodware including bowls, plates, cups, lids, clamshells, or other containers and prohibit the sale of polystyrene foam packing peanuts and coolers by January 1, 2025. The bill would also prohibit the use of toxic forever chemicals in foodware containers
  • Reducing Plastic at the Source: SB 544: would require producers to reduce single-use plastic packaging and foodware by 25% over the next decade and move to reusable and refillable packaging.
  • Enabling Reuse: SB 545 would update Oregon’s health code to enable customers to bring reusable and refillable containers for food.
  • HB 2770: relating to a study on the impacts of waste from solar or wind renewable energy facilities. This bill would require the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a study on the impacts of waste from solar or wind renewable energy facilities.
  • SB 494: relating to a study on municipal solid waste incinerators. This bill would require the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a long-term study of how municipal solid waste incinerators affect air quality and contaminants in surrounding areas.
  • SB 542: relating to a Right to Repair consumer electronic equipment. This bill would require the original electronic equipment manufacturer to make available to the owner of the electronic device or independent repair provider any tools, documentation, or other devices available to authorized repair providers for diagnosing and repairing such electronic equipment.
  • HB 2871: relating to recyclability claims. This bill would prohibit the sale of certain products unless their recyclability claims meet specific standards. The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Quality to monitor efforts related to developing national labeling standards for recyclability.

Washington

  • The WRAP Act: EPR for Packaging and Paper Products HB 1131 / SB 5154: the Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act would create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for consumer packaging and paper products. The bill also sets minimum postconsumer recycled content requirements for different packaging materials. Finally, the bill requires producers of certain beverage containers to set up and operate a deposit return system (DRS) in order to satisfy their producer obligations. A substitute bill was passed out of both the House and Senate policy committees and will next be considered in fiscal committees.
  • Battery EPR SB 5144: providing for responsible environmental management of batteries, this bill would require producers of covered batteries and battery-containing products to participate in a stewardship organization which plans and provides for battery collection and end-of-life management. Under current rules adopted by the Department of Ecology, businesses are allowed to manage most types of batteries as universal waste, which can have dangerous consequences for MRFs and other waste management facilities. This bill had an executive session on February 7th, where a substitute bill passed through the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology.
  • EPR for refrigerant containing appliances HB 1164. This bill would create an EPR program to ensure responsible end-of-life management of appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and heat pumps that contain refrigerants and foams that contribute to global warming. The current regulatory system does not ensure refrigerants in appliances are properly managed at their end-of-life, which can have dire environmental and health consequences. This bill had a hearing in the House but did not move forward by the cutoff.
  • Update to LightRecycle Washington HB 1185, reducing environmental impacts associated with lighting products, would phase out mercury-containing lights by 2026 and update the existing LightRecycle EPR program to include all types of lights – it currently only covers mercury containing lights. The bill would also eliminate the environmental handling fee, and instead require the producers of lights covered by the stewardship program to finance the operations of the program. This bill passed out of the House Committee on Environment & Energy on February 16th.
  • Wind turbines SB 5287, concerning a study on the recycling of wind turbine blades, would require the Washington State University Extension Energy Program to conduct a study on the feasibility of recycling wind turbine blades, including consideration of an EPR program.

Non-EPR Waste & Recycling Bills

  • Right to Repair HB 1392 / SB 5464, promoting the fair servicing and repair of digital electronic equipment, would require manufacturers of digital electronic equipment such as computers, cell phones and tablets, to provide access to parts, tools, and repair information about their products, which could make it easier for independent repair shops and others to repair items.
  • HB 1033, evaluating compostable product usage in Washington, would establish a stakeholder advisory committee to make recommendations on standards for managing compostable products such as compostable bags, food containers, and serviceware to address contamination in composting facilities.
  • HB 1085, reducing plastic pollution, would take three step to reduce plastics: 1) prohibit the use of expanded or extruded plastic foam overwater structures such as docks; 2) prohibit hotels and other lodging establishments from providing personal health or beauty products in mini plastic packaging/containers and 3) require water bottle refill stations wherever a drinking fountain is required in all new buildings to reduce single-use plastic bottles.

Events & Webinars

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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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