NWPSC October2023 Newsletter

OCTOBER 2023

Lunch & Learn TODAY, Oct. 30 - Colorado Packaging EPR

Colorado was the third state to pass Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and paper product in the U.S. The Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, House Bill 22-1355, was signed into law in 2022. The Colorado law is the most similar to the EPR part of the Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act (HB 1131).

Join this Lunch & Learn on October 30 from 12 – 1 pm PT to better understand how the EPR program is designed and how it is being implemented in Colorado! Register here.

Darla Arians is the Producer Responsibility Lead at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). She will give an overview of Colorado’s EPR law for PPP and its implementation.

 

PROGRAMS & NEWS

Waste in Washington 

The State Department of Ecology has recently published their dynamic Waste in Washington report that features data and information about Washington’s waste and recycling systems, solid waste programs, and new laws. From product stewardship to organic waste reduction to the innovative work of the Recycling Development Center, you can get an overview of the progress being made. The online report highlights their current work and illustrates triumphs and the challenges that lie ahead. The report’s story map platform and interactive charts and maps allow you to explore the state’s waste and recovery data, filter it for specific locations and waste categories, get a more detailed look at the composition of Washington’s waste, and more.

Global Plastic Laws Database
The Surfrider Foundation, in partnership with the Plastic Pollution Coalition, launched the Global Plastic Laws Database ahead of the UN Plastics Treaty set to take place in Kenya next month. The database is an extensive tool to be used to research and track plastic legislation introduced across the world. The database is broken up into nine categories, including – Design + Reuse, Microplastics, Extended Producer Responsibility, and more. This resource is meant for policymakers, organizations, and product stewardship advocates who are motivated to design effective policies to address the handling of plastics. Check it out here - https://www.globalplasticlaws.org/

CalRecycle seeks PRO applicants for California Packaging EPR Law
CalRecycle is seeking applications from prospective producer responsibility organizations (PROs) through January 1, 2024. The PRO will play a key role in ensuring California’s program is successfully run and reaches the mandated goals of cutting single-use plastic in packaging by 25%, recycling 65% of single-use packaging, and ensuring all packaging in California is recyclable or compostable by 2032. Earlier this year, Colorado selected Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a non-profit PRO consisting of 18 major retailers and CPGs, as their PRO. Once CalRecycle chooses California’s PRO, all producers in California must join the PRO by January 1, 2027. 

Purposeful PROs Can Improve Collection
At the Product Stewardship Institute’s (PSI) 2023 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum, representatives from various Producer responsibility organizations (PROs) discussed how PROs can encourage harmonization in EPR programs at the session “The PRO’s Role in Advancing the Circular Economy.” Panelists noted that the U.S. faces a harder path towards harmonization in their programs compared to Canada, and although each state will have unique elements to their laws, there is promise in hearing that the four states with packaging EPR (Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California) are working together towards some form of harmonization and collaboration. Read more.

 

INTERVIEW WITH NWPSC'S NEW CO-CHAIR - SARA KIRBY

At the 2023 NWPSC Annual Retreat in Portland, Oregon, Pam Peck of Metro stepped down as the Oregon Co-Chair of the NWPSC – thank you, Pam, for your engagement and work with the NWPSC!

Sara Kirby of Metro was chosen to be the new Oregon Co-Chair of the NWPSC, bringing over a decade of solid waste management, and years of advocacy for product stewardship. We welcome Sara Kirby as the new NWPSC Co-Chair!

Learn a bit more about Sara, her work with Metro, and her aspirations for the NPWSC, in the conversation with Sara below.

1. Tell the NWPSC a little bit about yourself, Sara!
I’m from southwest Arizona and California, and after a brief stint in Atlanta, GA. I currently live in NE Portland with my family. I have a degree in Biology from Arizona State University. I initially wanted to be a field biologist when I grew up, but then I gave it a try, studying reptiles and amphibians in the Amazon rain forest, and it turns out the repetitive nature of the work was not for me. I work at Metro Regional Government, the only directly elected regional government in the United States, as a Senior Policy Planner. I’ve been at Metro for almost 15 years and have worked on waste reduction education, business recycling programs, multifamily recycling policy, code and rule changes, and bulky waste policy; key to my work at Metro is collaborating with our area city and county solid waste staff. I believe we are most effective when we work together.  

2. What made you want to work in solid waste planning and product stewardship?
I saw a direct relationship between environmental issues and solid waste, specifically the consumption of natural resources. Product stewardship builds further on this idea, and I believe it changes the way solid waste agency staff will do our work in the future.

3. What intrigued/interested you about the NWPSC, and ultimately, what made you want to join and run for Co-Chair?
Again, I think collaboration is key; none of us, or our agencies, exist in a vacuum. The NWPSC is a natural extension of the collaborative work I’m already doing with cities and counties in greater Portland.

4. What do you hope to help the NWPSC achieve?
I hope to build up Oregon membership to support effective implementation of the current EPR program and passage of additional EPR programs or perhaps framework legislation.

5. What are you looking forward to most this upcoming winter?
I do love the occasional snow, especially now that I work from home and don’t have to try to get home in it. I enjoy collecting and propagating uncommon houseplants, particularly Hoya and Philodendrons. I’m also pretty good at catching lizards, not that we have many in the PNW.

 

EVENTS & WEBINARS

WSAC County Leaders 2023 Conference: November 15 – Breakout session on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Solid Waste Technical and Listening Session. This event is for county officials and includes a registration fee to attend.

 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is hiring for a Policy and Program Manager to work closely with the chief executive officer, the policy team, and PSI’s members and partners to conduct research, facilitate policy dialogue, and develop product stewardship and EPR policy models, programs, and legislation. The Policy and Program Manager will lead, coordinate, and collaborate on initiatives related to packaging, textiles, batteries, and other products and materials as they rise in priority for our members. View job description and application instructions.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is hiring a Marketing & Communications Coordinator to work with the Marketing and Communications Manager and work collaboratively with all team members to promote PSI’s work. The coordinator will work closely with PSI’s government members and corporate, environmental, academic, and international partners to educate diverse stakeholder groups about EPR policies and programs and support them in advocating for producer responsibility solutions. View  job description and application instructions.

 

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.