August 2023

Programs & News

Updates from E-Cycle: 
In July 2023, the E-Cycle Washington program collected 1.06 million pounds of TVs, computers, and monitors for recycling. The year-to-date collection total for 2023 is 7.45 million pounds. This is 94.1% of the 7.92 million pounds collected over the same period in 2022. Over the program’s lifetime the total volume collected is 460.8 million pounds.  

The Materials Management & Financing Authority (MMFA) provides a detailed county-by-county breakdown of the collection date which can be found on the E-Cycle Washington website. 

Monthly and 2022 Annual Reports:

• Monthly collection report 
• MMFA 2022 Annual Standard Plan Report  

E-Cycle WA Plan Input 
The WMMFA must submit a new 5-year program plan for approval by the Department of Ecology by September 1, 2023. The NWPSC Electronics Committee coordinated and conducted consultation with local governments, residents, collection sites and others to provide WMMFA input into their program plan. Some of the concerns the NWPSC provided the WMMFA included: 

• Concern #1: Increased disposal of covered electronics.  
• Concern #2: Convenient access to collection sites has decreased substantially. 
• Concern #3: Lack of awareness due to insufficient outreach spending.

The NWPSC also provided the WMMFA with recommendations to combat this problem including:  

• Invest in proactive recruitment of additional collection sites and/or provide funding to support other forms of collection services to ensure Washington residents have reasonably convenient access.  
• Significantly increase program outreach budget and carry out additional outreach activities to ensure that Washington residents and small businesses are aware of where and how to reuse and recycle E-Cycle covered products.  
• Establish an advisory council to ensure ongoing engagement and collaboration with E-Cycle program stakeholders. 
• Conduct a regular awareness survey to gauge program awareness and guide outreach strategy.  

Draft Safe Medication Return Rules: 
The Department of Health (DOH) has scheduled a rules hearing on August 29 at 11:00 to invite comments on the changes to administrative regulations for the Safe Medication Return system. Use this link to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LCQnBG7ASkSOQUIQCIWVvg

Interested parties may also provide feedback through the rules comment page through 5 pm on August 29th. The proposed new rules clarify that the department can approve multiple programs and may identify additional requirements for program operators. 

Updates from Safe Medication Return Quarterly Meetings: 
Current Coverage: Only 2 of Washington’s 281 population centers have no Safe Medication Return service, Elmer City and Krupp. Program operators are continuing efforts to establish kiosk hosts or mailer distributors in these areas and in other population centers where they have not yet met kiosk requirements. Please encourage your contacts to participate. 

• If they would like to participate as a kiosk host or mailer distributor, encourage them to contact takeback@inmar.com and/or washington@med-project.org. (Only retail pharmacies, clinics and hospitals with on-site pharmacies, law enforcement, substance use disorder treatment programs, and long term care facilities are allowed to host kiosks. Any organization regularly open to the public may be added as a mailer distributor.) 
• If they have concerns, please let them know they can contact safemedreturn@doh.wa.gov or 360-236-4698.  

The department is close to approving an Inmar direct mail campaign that will provide mailers directly to households in the four population centers with no Inmar services: Elmer City, Krupp, Lamont, and Lyman. 

Policy change related to kiosk access/convenience: Safe Medication Return kiosks must be unlocked when the authorized collector (kiosk host) is open to the public unless the kiosk is full. This is a change in policy and not all kiosk hosts may be aware of it yet. Please contact safemedreturn@doh.wa.gov or 360-236-4698 if you notice any kiosk that appears to be locked and not full. This helps us assist program operators to make sure all kiosk hosts understand their responsibilities related to Safe Medication Return. 

The Evolution of Eco-Modulation to Drive Eco-Design  
Reid Lifset, a faculty member of the Yale School of the Environment, and one of EPR’s earliest proponents in the U.S., recently published a study on the challenges of eco-modulation in EPR programs. Early EPR programs were believed to incentivize eco-design in packaging; however, it is hard to determine if they have successfully achieved noticeable eco-design change. One of the main barriers in determining the success of eco-modulated fees brought up in Reid’s study was the lack of credible data to inform the effectiveness of EPR laws in incentivizing design change. Reid brought up that just tracking recycling rates doesn’t provide a full picture, as recycling rates can be affected by a myriad of factors. Reid offers various potential solutions to combat ineffective eco-modulated fees, including – collecting data needed to conduct an effective evaluation, evaluating the strength of penalties and bonuses, and more. Read more.  

How EPR Picked Up Steam in 2023   
Although no states passed EPR for packaging and paper products (PPP) in 2023, there are various signs that EPR for PPP has picked up steam and established a foothold in the U.S. that will only continue to grow in the upcoming years. Eleven states introduced EPR for packaging bills in 2023, covering nearly 91.8 million people, and although no full programs were passed, four states took dramatic steps in the right direction (IL, MD, NH, and R.I.). Outside of packaging, this year, laws were adopted for batteries in Washington, paint in Illinois, tires in Connecticut, Household Hazardous Waste in Vermont, and many amendments to existing EPR programs. Although there is mounting opposition to EPR policies from various stakeholders, the EPR movement is primed to continue to grow in the coming years. Read more.

Comments on U.S. EPA’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution Urged for EPR Solutions 
The U.S. EPA recently asked for input on its draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, and nearly 92,000 recycling industry stakeholders provided comments. Some of the most common comments revolved around the federal deposit return system and EPR programs. An example was the need to harmonize EPR programs from state to state. The Product Stewardship Institute advocated for this by calling for federal EPR for packaging along with other products. Read more.

 

Associate Member Pledge 

NWPSC Associate Member Pledge has been updated – Please Confirm the Pledge here.
Associate members are employees representing ocal, state, regional, and federal government agencies, and non-profit organizations that support the NWPSC mission and product stewardship principles. The Pledge signals your support for NWPSC’s mission and that you want to be in the inner circle of information regarding NWPSC’s work. If you haven’t signed the NWPSC Associate Member Pledge yet, please do so now.

 

NWPSC Annual Retreat 

The Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC) is holding their 2023 Annual Retreat in Portland, Oregon on September 11, 10:00am-1:00pm Pacific. The NWPSC is a coalition of government organizations in Washington and Oregon that work together to develop and improve Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Product Stewardship policies and programs. The NWPSC is a great forum to not only learn more about these policies and programs, but also help support, shape, and improve them.

Oregon and Washington local governments are welcome and encouraged to join the NWPSC retreat. There is no cost to attend the event. For more information and to RSVP, contact info@productstewardship.net.   

 

Events & Webinars 

• NWPSC Annual Retreat, September 11 in Portland, OR and virtually
• 2023 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum: September 11 – 14 in Portland, OR 
• Sustainable Oregon 2023: October 9-11 in Gleneden Beach, OR. The annual Association of Oregon Recyclers (AOR) conference is an opportunity for colleagues in the recycling, waste prevention and sustainable materials management industries to connect about ideas, learn what’s on the horizon, and be inspired. The conference offers three Plenaries – 1). RMA Implementation Update; 2). EPR in Oregon: PRO’s Perspective; 3). Recycling Markets and Policy – and 14 concurrent sessions including 2023 legislative successes and future priorities, implementing mattress EPR in Oregon, and PaintCare: A Look at Reuse and Employee Perspectives.
• Product Stewardship Society Annual Conference: October 17-19 in Boston, MA

 

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 X (Twitter) (@StewardshipNW) for product stewardship information from Washington, Oregon and elsewhere.

 

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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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