SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The Solid Waste Association of North America recently developed a new technical policy on extended producer responsibility for a range of products and packaging, as well as document offering “guiding principles” for such policies.

SWANA advocates for EPR systems that help support recycling and reuse, enhance recycling infrastructure and education efforts, and make recycling safer. 

The documents are meant to guide stakeholders but are not meant to serve as model legislative language, SWANA says. The association focuses its advocacy on education and policy positions versus lobbying.

Stakeholder engagement is a critical aspect of EPR policy development. SWANA’s new EPR policy documents aim to cement the association’s position in the conversation, especially as more EPR policies are adopted in the United States and throughout North America. 

“We envision SWANA taking a lead as a convener and curator of stakeholder conversations around EPR, especially in terms of how the programs affect and improve safety and the necessity of using and improving the current collection and processing systems,” said Amy Lestition Burke, SWANA’s CEO, in a statement.

SWANA defines EPR as a policy “that holds that producers are responsible and accountable for the lifecycle of their product.” The scope of the EPR policy guidance applies to packaging as well as materials like household hazardous waste, lithium-ion batteries, carpets, mattresses, tires, paint, and sharps.

SWANA says it supports EPR policies that protect and integrate current waste collection and processing systems while also ensuring responsible end markets. It also calls for representatives from waste collection and processing businesses to have “a ‘seat at the table’ to provide transparency and oversight” in some sort of advisory council role.

The policy document also advocates for needs assessments, consistent data collection and other clear metrics to keep all participants in the value chain on the same page.

During a panel discussion on EPR at SWANA’s WASTECON on October 23 in Grapevine, Texas, panelists referenced SWANA’s new policy document while discussing how needs assessments and other data points can help build strong programs. Yet gathering good data can be a challenge, they said.

“Data is going to be critical” to EPR programs, said Kevin Roche, CEO of ecomaine and secretary of SWANA’s board of directors. ecomaine is a nonprofit recycler in a state that’s in the process of implementing an EPR for packaging law.

SWANA also says it’s important for any EPR program to “focus on safety throughout the lifecycle of the product,” particularly for those who work in solid waste and resource management roles. SWANA calls for potentially using some of an EPR program’s funds to address materials it considers particularly harmful or dangerous to workers, including batteries and compressed gas canisters. SWANA also calls for programs to consider management techniques for other elements such as PFAS and household hazardous waste.

“People really don’t realize that EPR goes hand in hand with safety,” Roche added during the panel discussion.

SWANA is among the major waste and recycling groups that have released detailed EPR positions and policies in recent years. 

The National Waste & Recycling Association updated its EPR position several years ago. It does not specifically advocate for EPR programs but instead for laws that “support and invigorate existing recycling systems by strengthening them rather than upending them with duplicative and unnecessary programs.” The association also advocates for legislation that focuses on investing in infrastructure and on building markets for recycled materials. NWRA says product manufacturers and brands should bear the cost of EPR programs, among other positions. 

In 2023, the Recycled Materials Association issued guidance on packaging EPR policies, which listed elements the association prioritizes when assessing a particular EPR bill or policy. That list includes elements such as providing “off ramps” that allow for certain commodities to be exempted from an EPR program and hiring an independent third party to conduct a needs assessment for a given program, among other priorities. 

ReMA also looks for programs that encourage “convenient access to recycling,” and prioritize existing recycling and hauling infrastructure. It also recommends systems for hard-to-recycle materials, such as retail takeback and drop-off programs.

SWANA periodically updates its technical policies on relevant waste-related issues. Earlier this year, it updated its position on bottle bills, coming out in support of container deposit systems that allow recyclers to participate, set higher deposit values and allow for curbside materials.

Development of the EPR policy documents came with “a great deal of discussion and respectful debate on the various factors of EPR to make sure a range of perspectives were represented,” said Tammy Hayes, SWANA’s board president, in a statement. 

Courtesy: www.wastedive.com