[GreenYes] Re: First Local Government in No. America Sheds Responsibility for Product Waste

[nj.rimassa@no.address]

Bill Sheehan wrote:
> Posted at http://www.enn.com/?id=breakingnews
>
> and www.solidwastemag.com
>
> ****************************************
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>
>
> Local Government Returning Responsibility for
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> Discarded Products and Packaging is Best
>
> Solution, According to Product Policy Institute
>
>
>
> December 16, 2005 - By Product Policy Institute
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>
>
> ATHENS, Ga. - The response to the first
>
> unilateral action by a local government in North
>
> America to return all responsibility for the
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> management of product waste to senior levels of
>
> government was applauded by the Athens, Georgia-
>
> based Product Policy Institute today.
>
>
>
> Product waste is all the manufactured goods and
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> packaging or made stuff discarded in our society
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> which local governments are typically
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> responsible for managing or regulating. Product
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> waste is contrasted with organic waste or grown
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> stuff such as food and yard trimmings.
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>
>
> The local body, Kootenay Boundary Regional
>
> District (KBRD) in British Columbia, Canada,
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> wrote provincial Environment Minister, Barry
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> Penner in August. In the letter, KBRD Board
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> Chair, Rick Hardie, acknowledged British
>
> Columbia's leadership in the use of Extended
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> Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies, but said
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> that KBRD's goal of achieving Zero Waste would
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> be difficult if not impossible to reach unless
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> EPR is extended to a broader range of products.
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>
>
> "The underlying problem," Hardie said, "is that
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> Regional Districts have been given
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> responsibility for managing the discards of our
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> consumer society without being given adequate
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> authority to do so in a way that doesn't impact
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> the local taxpayer."
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>
>
> At their Dec. 15 meeting the KBRD Board heard
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> the Minister response: agree that product waste
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> is an appropriate definition for the ultimate
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> scope of EPR programs which would leave local
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> governments with the responsibility to manage
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> only materials such as: garden or food waste for
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> composting; organic based waste; and demolition,
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> land clearing and construction refuse, Minister
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> Penner wrote.
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>
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> "The Board is very pleased with the Minister
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> commitment to expand EPR programs in British
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> Columbia to encompass all product waste," said
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> Raymond Gaudart, Resource Recovery coordinator
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> for KBRD. "Over time this commitment will
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> relieve taxpayers of the ever increasing cost of
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> managing consumer discards and will provide an
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> incentive to manufacturers to design their
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> products with recycling in mind. Kootenay
>
> Boundary will continue to press the province for
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> timely expansion of EPR programs."
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>
>
> This is the start of a new trend we will see
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> much more of," said Vancouver-based Helen
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> Spiegelman, president of PPI.  "Municipal
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> recycling and landfilling of products is not
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> only costly to taxpayers; it is welfare for the
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> producers of wasteful products and actually
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> encourages production of more waste."
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>
>
> Both letters are posted at www.productpolicy.org/resources
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>
>
> About The Product Policy Institute
>
>
>
> The Product Policy Institute (PPI) is a
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> nonpartisan research and education nonprofit
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> organization promoting policies that advance
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> sustainable production, consumption and waste
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> management in North America. PPI is working with
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> local governments to develop policies and
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> programs that conserve resources and reduce
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> local taxes by transferring responsibility for
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> product waste management back to the makers of
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> products and their customers.
>
>
>
> Contact Info:
>
> Helen Spiegelman
>
> President Product Policy Institute
>
> 604-731-8464
>
> hspie@no.address
>
>
>
> Raymond Gaudart
>
> Kootenay Boundary Regional District
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> 250.368.0232
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> zerowaste@no.address
>
>
>
>
> *************************************
> Product Policy Institute
> P.O. Box 48433
> Athens, GA 30604-8433  USA
> Tel:  706-613-0710
> Email:  infoProductPolicy.org
> Web:  www.ProductPolicy.org
> *************************************
I'd like to see this action extend towards Wal-Mart and its excessive
packaging. Those bags drive me crazy.
One day while delivering bags to the recycling box, I met an employee
removing the bags. I asked what would happen to the plastic and was
told it was going to the dumpster which in my town means the landfill.
I've not yet found a good solution. Taking my own embarrasses my
husband as does forcing the teller to use fewer bags. Ideas anyone?