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What is Product Stewardship? Product Stewardship is an environmental management strategy that means whoever designs, produces, sells, or uses a product takes responsibility for minimizing the product's environmental impact throughout all stages of the products' life cycle. The greatest responsibility lies with whoever has the most ability to affect the life cycle environmental impacts of the product. The mission of the Council is to integrate product stewardship principles into the policy and economic structures of the Pacific Northwest. Learn more about the Northwest Product Stewardship Council. |
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Oregon Electronics Recycling Continues to Show Gains The Oregon E-Cycles Program showed its third consecutive year of gains in total pounds of materials collected in 2011, according to final figures released by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). For the year 2011, Oregon collected a total of 25.9 million pounds of materials, up 7% from the 2010 total of 24.2 million pounds collected (up from 19 million pounds collected during its inaugural year). See the Oregon DEQ news release for more information.Mercury Lamp Stewardship Bill in New York New York State Senator Avella introduced S7181, a mercury lamp stewardship bill, which would require producers of mercury-containing lamps to create a collection program that does "not involve any direct cost to households or small businesses" and may consider including existing curbside collection infrastructure and mail-back systems. Plans would be implemented by Dec. 1, 2013. For more on Mercury, visit the Council’s Mercury product stewardship page.Chicago Tribune Investigates Flame Retardants The Chicago Tribune is featuring a series of articles, videos, and graphics on the toxic chemicals in flame retardants, industry involvement, and ongoing regulatory and policy failures. Also, visit the Council’s Chemicals product stewardship page.Mattress Stewardship Legislation Fails The Connecticut House did not pass SB-89 before the May 9 session adjournment, despite passing the Senate May 2. And S2399 was heard in the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture on April 11, along with other product stewardship bills, but Committee recommended that they be "held for further study," the same fate as H5888 in 2011. Meanwhile, the mattress industry trade association, the ISPA, is seeking national mattress recycling legislation; the ISPA opposes state legislation. For more on mattress recycling and stewardship, visit the King County LinkUp Mattress site.DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 28 was National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which was coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and implemented by local law enforcement and community partners. Nation wide, citizens turned in a record-breaking 276 tons of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal; Washingtonians removed 6.7 tons from circulation and Oregonians removed 4.1 tons. Law enforcement, federal agencies, public health and environmental professionals agree — take-back programs are the safest way to dispose of unused medicines. Visit TakeBackYourMeds.org for more information.Failure To Pass Toxic-Chemical Bill Put Profits Over Children’s Safety: Seattle Times op-ed An April 27 Seattle Times op-ed by WA state Sen. Sharon Nelson, chair of the Senate Environment Committee, describes the legislature’s failure to pass the Toxics-Free Kids Act in the last session. For more policy information, visit the Council’s chemicals policy and product stewardship page. |
