NYPSC Quarterly Newsletter – Summer 2017

NYPSC Updates
Announcing the 2017 New York Textiles Summit – Oct. 31st!
NYPSC Publishes Op-ed and Submits Support Letter for Paint Stewardship Bill
NYPSC Recommends Improvements to Batteries Stewardship Bill
Legislator Considers Recommendations for Pharmaceuticals Stewardship
NYPSC Members Travel to Boston for 2017 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum

New York State News
New York Counties Take the Lead on Pharmaceuticals Stewardship
New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) Releases Guidance for Safe Drug Disposal
With $1.7 million left, NY DEC Extends Grant Deadline for Electronics Recycling
New York Pioneers Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Solar Panels
New York City Reintroduces Ban on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Food Service Packaging

National Updates
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Collects Record Quantity of Meds
New Resources Available! Encourage Residents to Opt Out of Phone Books
EPR for Packaging the Focus of California Multi-Stakeholder Group
U.S. Conference of Mayors Develops Resolution on Electronics EPR Legislation

Events, Webinars, & Conferences

What We’re Reading

 

NYPSC Updates

Announcing the 2017 New York Textiles Summit – Oct. 31st!
On October 31, 2017, the New York Product Stewardship Council, the Re-Clothe NY Coalition, and the Product Stewardship Institute will host a broad group of stakeholders at the Fashion Institute of Technology to discuss how the state – and the country – can increase textiles recovery to reduce emissions and waste, save governments money, and create recycling jobs. Stakeholders from across the supply chain – manufacturers, retailers, recycling/reuse organizations, the fashion industry, state/local government, researchers, nonprofits, and consumers – will attend to connect on ways to drive innovation and overcome challenges in textiles production and recovery.

Registration is now available! View the conference agenda and sponsorship opportunities. Please contact Sarah Bonelli with questions at (617) 236-4853.

NYPSC Publishes Op-ed and Submits Support Letter for Paint Stewardship Bill
Statewide paint stewardship legislation S 881, which would shift paint management expenditures to industry, has passed the Senate and gained enough co-sponsors in the Assembly to pass the bill if it is put up for a vote. 42 municipalities and organizations signed on to NYPSC’s group support letter. NYPSC has submitted the letter to Assemblyman Englebright’s office and published an op-ed in the Albany Times Union to gather support for the bill. You can also support these efforts by using these templates to send in an individual letter of support or pass a resolution.

NYPSC Recommends Improvements to Batteries Stewardship Bill
New York state bill A 6280 would establish a stewardship program for primary batteries. While New York has an existing rechargeable battery extended producer responsibility (EPR) law, this bill would establish a primary (single use) battery recycling program for consumers paid for and managed by producers. The New York Product Stewardship Council has submitted a letter of support for the intent of the bill and a second letter with recommendations to improve the bill.

Legislator Considers Recommendations for Pharmaceuticals Stewardship
NY Assemblyman Steve Englebright, chair of the state’s Environmental Conservation Committee, introduced pharmaceuticals stewardship legislation in the previous legislative session and plans to reintroduce an updated bill this year. A statewide law would give all New York citizens access to drug take-back, with sustainable funding from the pharmaceuticals industry. The New York Product Stewardship Council is working with Assemblyman Englebright’s office to strengthen the bill to reflect nationwide best practices.

NYPSC Members Travel to Boston for 2017 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum
On July 25-26, 2017, NYPSC members will head to Boston for the 2017 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum. NYPSC’s Andrew Radin will moderate a panel detailing recent updates on stewardship for HHW, pesticides, batteries, thermostats, and lamps. The panel will also cover handling multiple producers and products, compliance, funding options, and the vicissitudes of the legislative process.

Other panels will explore “trending” topics including pharmaceuticals, packaging, and role of product stewardship in the circular economy. National and global experts will elaborate on the successes and challenges of existing voluntary and regulatory initiatives, and explore opportunities for the road ahead.

The highly interactive nature of each panel will encourage meaningful audience participation throughout the conference, engaging all in attendance in issues of EPR, product stewardship, and the circular economy.

New York State News

New York Counties Take the Lead on Pharmaceuticals Stewardship
On February 28, Rockland County became the first county on the U.S. East Coast to require the safe disposal of unwanted medications through a program funded and managed by drug companies. This drug take-back program will provide over 300,000 residents with convenient access to safe drug disposal.

Erie County also introduced drug take-back legislation in January. Westchester County, inspired by Rockland’s success, introduced its own bill in April. NYPSC has submitted a letter of support for Erie County’s bill.

New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) Releases Guidance for Safe Drug Disposal
The NY DEC has issued guidance, prepared in consultation with the State Department of Health and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, to help pharmacies, health care facilities, and citizens keep unused drugs out of waterways and to help prevent drug abuse. The new policy encourages pharmacies to become authorized collection sites for the public to drop off unused, unwanted, or expired pharmaceuticals.

With $1.7 million left, NY DEC Extends Grant Deadline for Electronics Recycling
Approximately $1.7 million for New York DEC’s Electronic Waste Assistance Grants (EWAG) remains available to municipalities to help offset costs associated with the collection and recycling of e-waste. Applications will be accepted from through January 31, 2018. EWAGs can reimburse up to 50% of eligible expenses incurred between April 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 for the recycling of acceptable e-waste such as computers, computer peripherals, televisions, small scale servers, and small electronic equipment.

Application materials, guidance documents, and other important information is available on DEC’s website. Questions? Email RecyclingGrants@dec.ny.gov or contact DEC at 518-402-8678.

New York Pioneers Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Solar Panels
As older solar technologies are now reaching the end of their useful life, homeowners, businesses, and others are searching for ways to safely dispose of their spent solar panels. Washington and New York are the first states to introduce EPR legislation for this product. The new bills require manufacturers to finance the collection, management, and recycling of spent solar modules and components.

New York City Reintroduces Ban on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Food Service Packaging
New York City has been a battleground over single-use EPS foam containers since the city’s first attempt to ban them in 2013, when the Restaurant Action Alliance NYC, Dart Container Corporation, and others successfully sued the City to block the legislation. The Court in that case ruled that the City’s ban was “arbitrary,” but that they could potentially reinstate a ban if the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) could state more clearly why it was necessary.

DSNY’s recently released report outlined the challenges involved with collecting, processing, and selling post-consumer EPS, and found that the material “cannot be recycled in a manner that is economically feasible or environmentally effective.” Per this determination, the City banned EPS food service products starting November 13, 2017.

National Updates

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Collects Record Quantity of Meds
On April 29, U.S. residents turned in 900,386 pounds (450 tons) of unwanted medication on U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s National Prescription Take Back Day. Altogether, the DEA has collected 8,103,363 pounds (4,052 tons) of prescription drugs at 13 take-back events since September 2010. The next Take Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 28.

Although many communities have taken advantage of DEA’s take-back events, these events are neither regularly available nor a permanent solution for prescription drug disposal.

New Resources Available! Encourage Residents to Opt Out of Phone Books
In this technology-driven era, publishers continue to manufacture printed phone books and drop millions of unwanted directories on American doorsteps. Each year, producers use an estimated 4.7 million trees worth of wood fiber – or 14 football fields’ worth of forest per day – to manufacture these directories. Phone books are also a burden on local governments, which pay nearly $60 million annually to recycle or dispose of them.

The Product Stewardship Institute recently added new outreach tools to its Phone Book Opt-Out Toolkit, a resource that makes promoting opt-out as easy as copy-and-paste for government officials and organizations. New materials include utility bill stuffers, sample public service announcement language, social media campaign graphics, an infographic, and an animated video.

EPR for Packaging the Focus of California Multi-Stakeholder Group
Last month, the California Department of Resources Recycling Recovery (CalRecycle) convened a multi-stakeholder group to discuss ways to increase packaging recovery, including extended producer responsibility (EPR), which would involve producers in managing packaging at the end of its useful life. Panelists debated the potential benefits and drawbacks of an EPR approach, as well as alternative methods ranging from product bans to incentives for recyclable packaging design. This stakeholder process is a step towards achieving CalRecycle’s goal to reduce the amount of packaging going to landfill by 50 percent by 2020.

U.S. Conference of Mayors Develops Resolution on Electronics EPR Legislation
In May, the Municipal Waste Management Association’s (MWMA) E-Waste Policy Working Group met to develop a policy resolution that promotes extended producer responsibility legislation for electronics. The group discussed key elements in successful nationwide programs and how they work, as well as issues in managing cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and the need to bolster markets for recycled materials. MWMA’s parent organization, The United States Conference of Mayors, will consider adopting the resolution during their upcoming conference in Miami Beach. If adopted, the resolution will become part of the official policy and advocacy platform of the nation’s premier organization representing America’s cities.

Events, Webinars, and Conferences

  • FREE Webinar: The Secret to Managing a Successful Mandatory Recycling Ordinance | Re-TRAC Connect | June 21st, 2017 at 1pm ET | Register
  • FREE Webinar Discussion: National Pesticides Stewardship | Product Stewardship Institute | July 10, 2017 at 1pm ET | Register
  • 2017 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum | Product Stewardship Institute | Boston, MA | July 25-26, 2017 | Register
  • 2017 New York Textiles Summit | New York Product Stewardship Council, Re-Clothe NY Coalition, and Product Stewardship Institute| Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY | October 31, 2017 | Register

What We’re Reading