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Product Stewardship: A Voluntary Approach
Six Counties in Minnesota Join Together to Promote Product Stewardship
In Minnesota, six metro counties encompassing Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding suburbs of the Twin Cities are promoting product stewardship for cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and latex paint. In 1999, the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, which is a joint powers board of the six metro counties, joined with the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA) to undertake the two product stewardship efforts.
The Board acknowledges that these efforts would not have been effective without the state’s support and partnership. Getting on the radar screen of industry representatives is the difficult first step. The Board found that having a statewide voice was necessary in order to get this initial attention. It also found essential having a couple of people whose primary responsibility included product stewardship work. The Board chose to contract out for project coordination, research, and program evaluation. It suggests that other local and/or state efforts interested in advancing similar projects consider supplementing permanent staff resources with contractor support, costs for which could range from $25,000 to $75,000 per year depending upon level of support desired.
CRT Product Stewardship Project
The Board and OEA targeted CRTs because they are a growing segment of the waste stream, contain hazardous substances, and are expensive to manage under current market conditions. There were also few effective options for recovery of electronics with CRTs in Minnesota.
In late 1999, the OEA and the Board convened a task force to which they invited manufacturers, retailers, CRT processors, companies purchasing recycled material, and others.
The task force agreed on short-term outcomes to be accomplished by August 31, 2000, and long-term outcomes to be achieved by 2003.
Short-term outcomes ranged from manufacturers using more post-consumer CRT glass in new products to at least one retailer and one manufacturer initiative to collect and recycle CRTs.
Long-term outcomes ranged from manufacturers designing products to facilitate more recovery of electronics with CRTs to CRTs being properly managed at end-of-life.
Government specific-activities included reducing regulatory barriers to recycling CRTs, increasing procurement of environmentally friendly electronic equipment (such as equipment that is Energy Star compliant, uses post-consumer recycled content or is managed appropriately by the manufacturer at the end-of-life), and working on education and enforcement efforts within the businesses community.
Many of the short-term goals have been achieved or are showing progress. New goals to be achieved within six months have also been developed.
The task force did not initially result in any industry commitments to recover more electronics with CRTs that do not rely on government funding. As a result, the Board and the OEA decided to determine whether legislative initiatives should be pursued in the 2001 legislative session. Both organizations are committed to pursuing a voluntary approach to product stewardship without legislation, provided that progress is made in increasing the recycling of electronics with CRTs without relying solely on government funding. If this does not occur, the organizations plan to seriously examine legislative options.
On October 18, 2000, Sony Electronics Inc. announced its commitment to
take back all Sony electronic products in Minnesota. Sony is the first
manufacturer to come forward to cover the costs of recycling its products.
Since this announcement, the OEA has been talking with Panasonic, Sharp,
and RCA. It expects these and other manufacturers to come forward to cover
their share of the costs for collecting and recycling old electronics.(3)
Latex Paint Product Stewardship Project
In 1999, the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, in conjunction with the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA), established a task force on latex paint to:
Latex paint producers, distributors, and retailers were invited to participate in the task force.
Task force meetings took place nearly every month from April 1999 through February 2000. The task force agreed to achieve its goals through a market-based approach, relying upon strengthening demand for recycled paint.
Government’s role is to work with the private sector to develop specifications for recycled paint, to promote use of recycled paint, and to increase use of recycled paint in government and institutional projects. The private sector’s role includes developing products that meet government specifications and printing and distributing educational materials at the point of sale. Sherwin Williams, Hirshfield’s Paints, Mills Fleet Farms, and Ace Hardware Stores have agreed to participate in a consumer education campaign by printing and distributing tear-off pads and/or stickers in their stores.
The Board has embraced a voluntary approach to managing latex paint. It will seek legislation in collaboration with other government agencies only if voluntary approaches do not successfully shift responsibility to producers.
In June 2000, the Board issued a request for proposals for a Recycled Latex Paint Project. The contractor is promoting and measuring the use of recycled paint products and working to improve feedstock quality. It is also working with Board staff to further research and identify paint management options. The Latex Paint Task Force is slated to reconvene March 2001 to assess progress in achieving its goals through a market-based approach.
Facts to Act On #40, Local Initiatives Leverage Extended Producer Responsibility (November 20, 2000) |
