NWPSC April 2024 Newsletter

April 2024

PROGRAMS & NEWS - Oregon and Washington

Circular Action Alliance’s Program Plan for Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act is Open for Public Comment
Program plans for Oregon’s packaging EPR program, the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA), were due to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (OR DEQ) by March 31, 2024. Only one program plan was submitted by Circular Action Alliance (CAA), who was already chosen as the PRO to operate the packaging EPR programs in Colorado and California. The public comment period on CAA’s proposed program plan is open through Friday, May 31, 2024. You can submit comments on the proposed program plan to the OR DEQ by emailing RethinkRecycling@deq.oregon.gov. The OR DEQ will complete its review of CAA’s program plan by July 31, 2024.   

Watch Oregon DEQ and Circular Action Alliance’s Webinar on Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act: The webinar gave local governments an overview of the program, new obligations and funding opportunities, timeline information, and key takeaways. The OR DEQ posted the webinar slides, video recording, and additional resources.  

Oregon DEQ Rejects MRC’s Revised Mattress Program Plan 
In February 2024, the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) submitted its revised program plan for Oregon’s mattress stewardship program based on the OR DEQ’s comments and revisions on the originally submitted program plan. Earlier this month, the OR DEQ finished reviewing the revised program plan and ultimately rejected MRC’s revised plan. Some of the reasons for the OR DEQ’s rejection of the revised plan include concerns regarding the lack of information on how convenience standards will be met, the increased assessment amount proposed by MRC, and the need for more clarity on how contaminated or non-recyclable mattresses will be handled in the program. MRC must submit a new revised program plan to the OR DEQ by June 10, 2024, after which the OR DEQ will have 45 days to review the revised plan. Program plan implementation must occur no later than seven months after the PRO plan is approved.

Oregon Passes the Nation’s Strongest Right-to-Repair Law
Oregon passed the nation’s toughest electronics right-to-repair law, which will affect any new electronic devices after January 1, 2025. Unlike previous right-to-repair laws passed in the U.S., most recently passed in California in 2023, Oregon’s law prohibits parts pairing. Parts pairing is a common practice in Apple products where the serial number of a component is digitally paired to the serial number of the product itself, which can prevent independent repair shops from using broken devices for spare parts. The ban on parts pairing will allow more options for technology repair in the marketplace, helping decrease the unnecessary disposal of electronic products. Apple opposed the bill and testified against it, citing the parts-pairing ban as a security threat; however, Google adamantly supported the bill, going as far as sending a letter to the Oregon Legislature praising the efforts on the bill.  

Washington Passes Amendment to LightRecycle Program 
Washington recently passed HB 1185, amending the state’s mercury-containing lights EPR program, LightRecycle. The amendment would phase out mercury-containing lights, banning the sale of most mercury-containing fluorescent lights by 2029, and continue the existing LightRecycle program, enacted in 2010, beyond the previous sunset date of 2025. The amendment also increases the number of lights that a person may bring to a collection site, helping improve the ease and convenience of collection for Washingtonians.  

 

PROGRAMS & NEWS - Other States

Producer Responsibility is Good for Business and Good for Colorado 
Colorado’s packaging EPR program is poised to establish one of the nation’s best recycling programs in the state. Colorado’s program will provide recycling access to all Coloradans by providing curbside recycling to an additional 500,000 households in municipalities and 200,000 households in rural areas.

Earlier this month, the Colorado General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee approved the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) proposed “medium” recycling system scenario, which could increase the state’s recycling rate to a high-end estimate of 58% by 2035.

S.C. Johnson Advocating for EPR 
S.C. Johnson has partnered with Conservation International on the Blue Paradox experience to raise awareness and promote solutions to the plastic waste crisis. The partnership has recently opened the Blue Paradox exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, which educates visitors on the plastic waste crisis in the U.S., specifically in U.S. waterways, and provides visitors with potential solutions to help solve the crisis. One of the solutions touted by the partnership is federal extended producer responsibility programs to provide consistent recycling standards nationwide, increase efficiencies across states, and increase the plastic recycling rate.

Maine's EPR for Packaging Program Close to Reality 
Maine’s packaging EPR law, passed in 2021, is nearing the end of its rulemaking process; the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has drafted regulations, and the Board of Environmental Protection is expected to finish reviewing them in mid-2024. Despite Maine’s decades of efforts to improve recycling, the state has yet to achieve its recycling target of 50%, and many communities have suspended or cut back their recycling programs due to limited options and rising costs to manage these materials. Maine’s packaging EPR law will help the state reach its recycling rate targets, increase accessibility to recycling for Maine residents, and alleviate the financial burden on municipalities and taxpayers to manage packaging materials at end-of-life.

Ten Packaging EPR Bills Introduced in 2024 So Far 
So far, in 2024, nine states have introduced packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) bills, and one other state, Hawaii, has introduced a statewide packaging needs assessment to inform a future packaging EPR program. Since Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California passed their packaging EPR programs in 2021 and 2022, no other states have been able to pass packaging EPR legislation; however, this perceived slowdown has been cited as a good thing by many supporters. Scott Cassel, CEO of the Product Stewardship Institute, stated that the slowdown in pace is “giving people time to work through some really important issues” regarding implementing packaging EPR programs in the U.S.

Earth Day theme: Planet vs. Plastics
This year for Earth Day (April 22nd), EARTHDAY.ORG promoted their unwavering commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.

 

EVENTS & WEBINARS

• AMERIPEN Webinar Series – Preparing for Packaging Producer Responsibility in the U.S.: 
  
  • Session 4: Learnings from Needs Assessments: May 22, at 10 am PT. Register here once available - https://www.ameripen.org/epr-webinar-series-2024/ 
  • Session 5: Lessons Learned from Brands and PROs: June 19, at 10 am PT. Register here once available - https://www.ameripen.org/epr-webinar-series-2024/  
• Washington Recycling Market Development Center – Glass Packaging Summit: May 2, from 9am to 11:30am PT. The agenda is linked here and register here.  
• 2024 Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA) Annual Conference: May 14 – 16 in Vancouver, WA. Register here: https://wsra.net/conference/ 
  • The keynote speaker is Heidi Sanborn, the founding Director of both the California Product Stewardship Council, National Stewardship Action Council, and the Stewardship Action Foundation. 
  • Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA): Metro Paint Tour: May 14, 2024. Register as part of conference registration.  
• 2024 AOR Sustainable Oregon Conference: June 18, 2024, at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel. Register here: https://oregonrecyclers.org/conference/registration  

 

JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES

Department of Ecology is hiring and looking for candidates for the following positions: 

• Moderate Risk Waste (MRW) Coordinator – Statewide Lead (Environmental Specialist 5) (In-Training) 
• Product Stewardship Specialist (Environmental Specialist 5) 

 

Engage with the Northwest Product Stewardship Council
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