Product Stewardship
Every year in Nebraska, close to 27 million pounds of electronics are disposed of; 450 thousand gallons of unused paint are dumped in the trash or down the train and 720 thousand fluorescent lamps are thrown in the trash. Many of these products—televisions, computer screens, unused house hold products and batteries—contain toxic chemicals that can seep through landfills and contaminate waterways and soil. What should be done with all of this waste?
Local government agencies are faced with the burdensome cost of collecting and disposing of these toxic materials in order to protect us from the environmental and human health impacts associated with their disposal Furthermore, it is at the local level, in towns and communities, where the public health effects of toxic contaminants are felt first. Toxic materials are only the tip of the iceberg, though, as ever-more-disposable consumer products and packaging flood the public waste streams and local governments are left to shoulder the ever-rising costs of waste management during this economic crisis.
Product stewardship is a way to manage consumer products and materials. Product stewardship means manufacturers, retailers, governments and consumers all share responsibility for reducing a product’s health and environmental impacts. Those with the greatest ability to reduce those impacts shoulder the greatest responsibility. Instead of looking to local governments to solve this problem, companies that make the products should help to pay for collection, recycling or safe alternate disposal of products that contain toxic materials. This approach suggests a new way of doing business; however, similar systems of shared responsibility are already in place in Europe and Canada, and over 30 states in the U.S. have passed laws requiring companies to help pay for the responsible management of used products. When companies assume greater responsibility for their products, it encourages them to redesign them so they will last longer, be easier to recycle and contain fewer toxics.
Under a product stewardship program, each party has a distinct role to play with manufacturers paying for collecting, recycling or appropriately disposing of products consumers no longer want. Retailers can serve as voluntary collection points for used or leftover products and provide information to consumers, while governments oversee the programs to ensure fairness and effectiveness. Consumers also have a role in taking action to manage products responsibly once convenient solutions are offered.
In Nebraska, product stewardship programs have already begun to sprout. For example, Another Bright Idea is a program operated by The Nebraska Environmental Trust and WasteCap Nebraska to engage retailers in collecting used compact fluorescent lamps. While the manufacturers are not paying for the program, this pilot project is paving the way for Nebraska’s retailers and consumers to “test the waters” of product stewardship by doing things a little bit differently. PSI is working with a team of municipalities, non-profit organizations, and waste management agencies in the development of the Nebraska Product Stewardship Initiative. State agencies and organizations leading the charge of the Initiative include WasteCap Nebraska, Keep Nebraska Beautiful, the city of Omaha Public Works, the city of Lincoln, the city of Norfolk, and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
Nationally, product stewardship has gained considerable momentum. As of the summer of 2010, there are 60 laws requiring the manufacturers of seven different product categories, such as electronics or mercury-containing lamps, to set up and pay for recycling programs for their products. Altogether, 31 states have enacted at least one producer responsibility law. Beyond individual products, some states are seeking a comprehensive, or framework, legislative approach to establish an overarching policy for multiple products. To date, framework bills have been introduced in six states, with one state, Maine, enacting a framework law this past March.
In addition to coordinating government policy, PSI has also done a considerable amount of work with manufacturers and retailers. Companies approach PSI because it offers a national forum for the objective discussion of issues. By mediating between government agencies and private companies, PSI’s collaborative method helps negotiate each participant’s role in achieving a solution.
The heavy environmental impact that come from everyday household items highlights how difficult it is to find an easy solution to today’s environmental problems. Everyone is partially to blame. Product stewardship recognizes, however, that everyone also has a role to play in reducing the impact of those products. As consumers, we have an obligation to choose the best available products, but also we have to take the initiative and be responsible enough not to dump our laptops, motor oil, used paint or spent batteries down the drain or in the landfill when we have better options. Many of the largest retailers, including Home Depot, Staples and Best Buy, are already providing those options to their customers. Manufacturers, however, have the greatest control over the impact of their product and have the greatest opportunity to reduce their impacts. Manufacturers can change the materials used to make the product (phasing out toxics), change the amount of packaging used or change the design of the product so it lasts longer and is easier to recycle. Product stewardship requires a commitment from everyone to protect the environment.
PSI, a Boston-based nonprofit, was created in 2000 to harmonize state and local product management strategies. PSI has a membership of 46 states and over 170 local governments and partners with more than 55 businesses, organizations, universities and non-U.S. governments. For more information, visit www.productstewardship.us.
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