HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1147.002 2014-2016 Pi Coy U cam.
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support for Resolution 709-16: extended producer responsibility(EPR)
for Hawai'i County Council, 9 AM Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Kona chambers
from Cory Harden 959-7747
$680,000. That's what one county in Minnesota saved the first year after an EPR e-waste law was .
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passed. (1)pp. 4-5 •
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Our current system is irresponsibility: producers extract resources from the earth,turn many of therr>gsto -<
harmful substances, distribute them far and wide, and leave the cleanup to someone else.
"The total volume of material extracted or harvested worldwide reached nearly 72 billion metric tonn4in
2010, doubling since 1980..."The more we extract, the more waste we end up with. (2)p. 3 4P-
Our County's 2009 Zero Waste Plan calls for our County to advocate for EPR and "[c]onfirm the leggy —
authority to ban problem products and packaging or require businesses and institutions to take back
designated products and packaging sold in Hawaii that are toxic in their manufacture, use, or disposal,
and/or are not currently recyclable in the area." (3)p. 52
Internationally, since the 1980s, EPR"has become an established principle of environmental policy in an
increasing range of countries."There are about 400 EPR systems worldwide, most mandatory, not
voluntary. About three-quarters are take-back systems. Most of the others are advance disposal fee and
deposit/refund systems. (2)p. 13
Nationally, researchers find "slow but steady movement toward state enactment of more rigorous and
comprehensive EPR laws... as state and local governments and environmental and product policy
organizations that championed EPR have seen voluntary programs and weak laws fail to achieve
anticipated results..." (1)pp. 3-4
Over 70 EPR laws were passed by U.S. states from 1991 to 2011. Some laws require that state
environmental agencies approve producers' EPR plans before implementation. Some set performance
goals. Some give financial incentives for bringing a product to a collection site. Some impose penalties on-
manufacturers who don't comply and collect fees to pay for state oversight. (1)pp. 3-4
Fortunately, researchers suggest that manufacturers may be deciding EPR can work for them. "Some
waste management companies (e.g.,Waste Management Incorporated) have provided financial support
to organizations advancing EPR policies in the expectation that the specialized collection,transportation,
sorting, and recycling that EPR requires could generate new business."(1)p. 8
Internationally, it appears EPR has"helped to shift some of the financial burden for waste management
from municipalities and taxpayers to producers, and to reduce the public costs of waste management."
But progress towards less waste and more recycling varies from country to country, so the international
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests"emulating the best performers."
They also warn governments to prevent"collusion among producers".
(2)pp. 13-14
Please support Resolution 709 for extended producer responsibility.
(1) "Extended Producer Responsibility in the United States:Full Speed Ahead?"2013 Regulatory
Policy Program Working Paper RPP-2013-04. Cambridge, MA:Mossavar-Rahmani Center for
Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Jennifer Nash and
Christopher Bosso,
hitp://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdocldownload?doi=10.1.1.693.1231&rep=rept&type=pdf
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(2) Extended Producer Responsibility, 2016, OECD(Orgy I-ization for Economic Cooperation and
Development)http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-1vlanagement/oecd/environment/extended-
producer-responsibility 9789264256385-en#.WBbnUrbrvlU#page9
g. Zero Waste Implementation Plan for the County of Hawaii, Recycle Hawaii, Richard Anthony
Associates, March 14, 2009, http://hawaiizerowaste.ortl/site-content/uptoads/3-14-09-
Hawaii Zero Waste Plan.doc.pdf