Costs of managing discarded products and packaging would be transferred to brand-owners.

Syracuse, NY  –  Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) in Syracuse, a leader in solid waste and recycling management, has adopted the first comprehensive resolution in the Northeastern U.S. urging the state legislature to require brand owners to pay for the reuse or recycling of certain products sold in the state.

EPR Legislation:  To address the growing waste problem, the OCRRA resolution advocates “framework” Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation that transfers the cost of managing certain discarded products and packaging  from taxpayers and ratepayers to the producers or first importers of the products.  

“It’s the fair and environmentally wise next step for waste management,” says OCRRA Executive Director, Tom Rhoads. “EPR legislation will give producers the incentive to design products less toxic and easier to reuse and recycle.”

Presently New York City and eighteen states around the country have EPR laws requiring producers of electronic products to pay for collection and recycling of the products they sell in those jurisdictions.  The framework approach advocated by the OCRRA resolution goes beyond single product legislation, allowing multiple products categories to be covered by an Extended Producer Responsibility program.

Local EPR Resolutions:  The OCRRA resolution is based on a model drafted by the Product Policy Institute.  More than 50 local jurisdictions in California have adopted similar resolutions since 2006.  That has fueled the growth of the California Product Stewardship Council and state EPR policies and legislation in California.

“OCRRA’s EPR resolution adds to the growing momentum to achieve sustainable production, and will stimulate other jurisdictions in the northeast to follow suit,” says Bill Sheehan, Executive Director, Product Policy Institute (PPI).

EPR in the Northeast:  The New York Product Stewardship Council (NYPSC) was formed in May to promote EPR.  Local government solid waste managers formed the Vermont Product Stewardship Council in the fall of 2008.  On June 24th the Rhode Island legislature passed a joint resolution directing the Department of Environmental Management to develop recommendations for an EPR framework like that called for in the OCRRA resolution.

Rhoads, who is on the NYPSC steering committee, says the OCRRA resolution also resolves to focus community resources on the recovery and beneficial use of organic materials such as food scraps and yard trimmings.

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For more information, contact:

• Kristen Lawton, Public Information Officer, OCRRA at 315.453.2866 x 220 or klawton@ocrra.org
• Bill Sheehan, Executive Director, Product Policy Institute at 706.247.2500 or bill@productpolicy.org . 
• The resolution and supporting document are posted at: http://www.productpolicy.org/content/ocrra-syracuse-ny-epr-resolution

About OCRRA:
OCRRA is an independent non-profit public benefit agency responsible for raising its own revenues. OCRRA develops, implements, and oversees sound environmental solutions for solid waste management through recycling and trash disposal. OCRRA’s policies and programs are products of a volunteer Board of Directors leading the community through award winning programs.  For more information, visit
www.OCRRA.org .

About Product Policy Institute:
The Product Policy Institute (PPI) is a North American non-partisan research, communication and educational organization promoting policies that advance sustainable production, consumption and good governance. Founded in 2003, PPI works with communities and their local governments to advocate for public policies that protect public health and safety and address climate change by encouraging waste prevention and clean production.  PPI helped  local governments establish Product Stewardship Councils in California, New York, Vermont and Texas and is currently working in other states. PPI is a 501c3 charitable organization under the Internal Revenue Service tax code. For more information, visit www.productpolicy.org .
P.O. Box 48433, Athens, GA  30604  *  706-613-0710

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