Integrated Resources & Solid Waste Management Plan Update - Dec 2009

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campaign and a target penetration rate of at least 25 percent of single - family households within five years. Estimated cost: It would cost the County approximately $75 to $100 per unit for purchase, storage and delivery of each unit. Thus, if the County were to target delivering approximately 2,000 households per year, it would reach a 25 percent penetration rate in 4 to 5 years at a cost of $150 to $200,000 per year. Existing staff resources would need to be used to develop the plan for how best to distribute the units and to provide suitable promotion and user education. 3.5.7 Expanded Reusable Bag Program 3.0 SOURCE REDUCTION THE EARTH MACHINE As part of their educational outreach program, the County has conducted Bring- Your -Own Bag (BYOB) promotional events at local grocery stores and at various community events such as Earth Day, during which reusable grocery bags are given to interested residents. To expand this program, the County could significantly increase the number of reusable bags that are distributed to residents, and increase its outreach to encourage participating grocery stores to increase the financial discount for using reusable bags. Estimated cost: This option would require additional staff time and $10,000 to $30,000 annually for additional materials. 3.5.8 Expand Source Reduction Education A key to the success of reuse programs is the education of the staff (government, private for - profit, and non - profit) who operate the facilities within the program. Once staff have been trained on the basics of how these programs work, they will need to develop systems to implement programs for the public. The methods for providing materials to markets include retail sales, dismantling for recycling, and ensuring materials reach markets accessible to the public. A series of enhancements to the County's education and promotion programs are suggested in Section 5.0, Public Education and Information. 3.5.9 Establish Extended Producer Responsibility Policy As previously described, EPR is a policy tool that extends manufacturer's responsibilities to include responsibility for life cycle costs of their products and associated packaging. This approach has been successfully implemented in various communities throughout Europe and Canada, as well as parts of the United States. A brief discussion of some international and United States EPR experience, as documented in a recent report4, follows. The first EPR program was put in place in Germany in 1991 with the advent of the German Packaging Ordinance, also referred to as the Green Dot program. The Packaging Ordinance held producers responsible for managing packaging waste. The Packaging Ordinance resulted in the Duales System Deutschland (DSD), a non - profit company, which licenses its 4 Van Rossem, C., Tojo, N., Lindhqvist, T. 2006. Extended Producer Responsibility An examination of its impact on innovation and greening products. Report commissioned by Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). December 2009 3 -13