NYPSC Updates
NYPSC Submits Recommendations for a Statewide Drug Stewardship Bill
Diverse Stakeholders Sign onto NYPSC’s Letter of Support for Paint Stewardship
NYPSC Signs Letter Opposing State Law that Placed Moratorium on New York City’s Plastic Bag Fee
NYPSC Warmly Welcomes New Board Member Barb Eckstrom
New York State News
Rockland County Passes First Local Drug Take-back Law on East Coast
New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) Launches Statewide Drug Take-Back Pilot Program
Greenport Businesses Commit to Reducing Plastic Marine Debris in Long Island
New York State Delays New York City’s (NYC’s) Plastic Bag Fee
National Updates
Connecticut Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs Produce Significant Economic & Environmental Gains, Evaluation Finds
Electronics Stewardship Amendment Passes in New Jersey
April 29: Next National Drug Take-Back Day
Michigan Becomes Seventh State to Outlaw Bag Bans
Events, Webinars, & Conferences
NYPSC Updates
NYPSC Submits Recommendations for a Statewide Drug Stewardship Bill
In the previous legislative session, New York Assemblyman Steve Englebright, chair of the state’s Environmental Conservation Committee, introduced state legislation to create a stewardship program for leftover medications, which would provide sustainable funding from the pharmaceuticals industry for a drug take-back program. Assemblyman Englebright plans to reintroduce an updated bill soon. NYPSC is working with the Assemblyman’s office to strengthen the bill to reflect nationwide best practices.
Diverse Stakeholders Sign onto NYPSC’s Letter of Support for Paint Stewardship
Municipalities in NY currently spend about 50 percent of their household hazardous waste budgets to manage leftover paint. However, paint management expenditures could soon shift to industry with the passage of paint stewardship legislation (A 1038/S 881). Assemblyman Al Stirpe, the bill’s sponsor, has secured 79 additional co-sponsors from both parties for A.1038, which is enough to pass the bill if it is put up for a vote on the Assembly floor.
Take action today! Email the Product Stewardship Institute’s (PSI’s) Tess Zinnes to add your municipality/organization to PSI and NYPSC’s group support letter, which already has 38 signees. You can also use NYPSC’s templates to send in an individual letter of support or to pass a resolution.
NYPSC Signs Letter Opposing State Law that Placed Moratorium on New York City’s Plastic Bag Fee
In early February, the New York Product Stewardship Council signed onto a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo asking him not to sign a state bill (S 4158/A 4883) that placed a moratorium on New York City’s ability to adopt or implement any regulation related to plastic bag fees. The next week, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill, calling the program “deeply flawed” for allowing retailers to keep the fee as profit.
NYPSC Warmly Welcomes New Board Member Barb Eckstrom
NYPSC is proud to welcome Barb Eckstrom, who has been the Director of Recycling and Materials Management in Tompkins County for 27 years. Under her leadership, the County’s programs and operations have diverted 60 percent of material from landfills. Barb received a B.S. in Environmental Technology and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. Prior to her current position, Barb worked at the U.S. Soil Conservation Service as an environmental consultant. NYPSC is honored to have you, Barb!
New York State News
Rockland County Passes First Local Drug Take-back Law on East Coast
On February 28th, Rockland County’s Executive signed into law the Pharmacy Take-back Act, which was adopted by the county legislature on February 7th. The new law requires retail pharmacy chains with 3 or more stores to collect and properly dispose of unwanted medications. The law gained bipartisan support as a common sense action to clean up the community’s waterways and curb drug abuse.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) Launches Statewide Drug Take-Back Pilot Program
On February 1, NY DEC announced a $1 million pilot program promoting the safe disposal of unwanted medications through drug take-back. The program covers the full costs of medication drop boxes and pick-up, transport, and disposal for two years. Pharmacies, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other specified locations can apply to be a drop-off site on DEC’s website by May 1, 2017. This program lays a strong foundation for the introduction of a statewide pharmaceuticals extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill, which would provide sustainable funding from the pharmaceuticals industry for a drug take-back program.
Greenport Businesses Commit to Reducing Plastic Marine Debris in Long Island
Thanks to a grant from U.S. EPA Region 2 and the help of NYPSC’s Jim Bunchuck, the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is partnering with four local eateries in Greenport, NY to reduce plastic marine debris. With PSI’s guidance, Alice’s Fish Market, Bruce & Son, Lucharitos, and Tikal.1 will voluntarily decrease the disposable plastic items (cups, straws, etc.) that end up on Long Island’s beaches. For each business, PSI will measure its “plastic footprint,” develop a source reduction plan, and create procurement policies to minimize or eliminate the number of disposable plastics used. PSI will also develop model municipal and tourism board policies that encourage waterfront businesses to reduce disposable plastics.
Through a previous project, PSI developed a Marine Debris Reduction Toolkit for Colleges & Universities which will become the foundation for a new marine debris reduction toolkit for eateries. The toolkit will help businesses and coastal communities across the country reduce their contribution to marine debris.
New York State Delays New York City’s (NYC’s) Plastic Bag Fee
On February 14th, the day before the effective date of NYC’s law instituting a 5-cent fee on plastic bags, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a state bill (S 4158/A 4883) that placed a moratorium on the city’s ability to adopt or implement any regulation related to plastic bag fees. States around the U.S. are facing mounting opposition from cities and local governments in response to state preemption policies that limit local environmental, economic, and social action. In early February, NYPSC had signed onto a letter to Governor Cuomo asking him not to sign the state bill.
National Updates
Connecticut Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs Produce Significant Economic & Environmental Gains, Evaluation Finds
Last month, the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) released a data-driven evaluation of Connecticut’s electronics, paint, mattress, and thermostat EPR programs – showing that EPR laws help divert waste, save government money, and create jobs. Although each program has its own successes and challenges, nearly all state residents now have convenient access to collection sites for all four products. PSI conducted the study for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Electronics Stewardship Amendment Passes in New Jersey
On January 9, New Jersey governor Chris Christie signed an amendment to the state’s Electronic Waste Management Act, even though he had pocket vetoed a similar amendment early last year. The new amendment requires each electronics manufacturer to recycle its market share (by weight) of covered materials, and gives NJ’s Department of Environmental Protection authority to ensure convenient access to electronics recycling and to act if manufacturers do not comply. The new amendment also adds printers and faxes to the list of covered devices and includes governments and schools in the program.
April 29: Next National Drug Take-Back Day
On April 29 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its biannual National Drug Take-Back Day to offer Americans an easy way to remove leftover prescription drugs from their homes. Government agencies promote take-back as one of the best strategies for reducing the health and environmental impacts of unwanted drugs. While these DEA events are a step in the right direction, NYPSC advocates for year-round drug-take back programs funded by pharmaceutical companies.
Michigan Becomes Seventh State to Outlaw Bag Bans
On December 30, Michigan lieutenant governor Brian Calley signed a new law outlawing local bans and fees on certain packaging items, including plastic bags. This legislation overrides Washtenaw County, MI’s reusable bag ordinance, which mandated a 10-cent fee on single-use plastic bags. Michigan follows Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Missouri in enacting this type of preemption legislation; similar laws have failed to pass in Pennsylvania and Texas.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
- 2017 Organics Summit: Transforming Our Food Waste Systems | NYSAR3 | Troy, NY | March 28– 29 | Register
- Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations’ Solid Waste and Recycling Conference | Sagamore, NY | May 21-24 | Register
- 2017 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum | Product Stewardship Institute | Boston, MA | July 25-26, 2017 | Register
What We’re Reading
- Taking aim at plastics: Four Greenport businesses chosen for plastics reduction pilot program| Southold Local | March 2017
- Do EPR Laws Work? | Environmental Leader | February 2017
- Cuomo Signs Bill that Blocks NYC Disposable Bag Fee | NY Daily News | February 2017
- Call2Recycle Reports Double-Digit Growth in Battery Collections in 2016 | Waste360 | February 2017
- Product Stewardship Institute Teams with Long Islanders to Clean Up Aquatic Trash | Waste360 | January 2017
- Expect More Conflict Between Cities and States | The Pew Charitable Trusts | January 2017
