Product Stewardship in NY State

This spring, we saw a record level of interest in product stewardship legislation in New York with the introduction of 12 bills; the Council will be working over the course of the fall and winter to develop greater support so that these bills see more activity and potentially passage next year. Stay tuned for ways you can engage to build support for these and other bills. Track New York EPR legislation on the NYPSC website, and New York and nationwide legislation on the Product Stewardship Institute website.

A carpet product stewardship bill A.8492 sponsored by Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh was introduced in the NY Assembly just before the session ended; it would require a carpet program beginning July 1, 2012. In May, Maine Representative Melissa Walsh Innes and 48 other legislators from across the United States sent a letter asking the Carpet and Rug Institute to support state producer responsibility legislation for carpet.  

Survey Results

Upcoming  Webinars  

Tuesday, July 19th!  Electronic Waste Webinar   

The Syracuse Center of Excellence Environmental Finance Center, NYSAR3, and the National Recycling Coalition are co-sponsoring a free webinar on e-waste recycling resources and best practices on Tuesday, July 19, from 10-11:30 am. E-Waste as RE-Source: A Webinar on Electronic Waste Reuse, Recycling & Policy will explore how consumers and municipalities alike can get the highest and best use possible out of electronic waste. Panelists will discuss e-waste recycling resources for consumers, educators, municipal officials, and those in the solid waste management industry; best practices for establishing an e-waste reuse program; and Extended Producer Responsibilitiy e-waste laws, such as New York State's new law. Speakers Include: Resa Dimino of WeRecycle!, Diane Cohen of Finger Lakes Reuse, and Eric Harris of the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries.  

Local Government's Role  

On August 23, at 10-11:30 am, the Environmental Finance Center will host another webinar on Leading the Charge: A Webinar on Local Government's Role in the Product Stewardship Movement. The webinar will cover how municipal governments are propelling policy changes to ensure sustainable management of end-of-life products such as batteries, carpeting, and products containing mercury and other harmful substances. Presenters will provide sample resolutions that can be adapted for your community, discuss case studies of communities that have already enacted policies, and talk about how local movements lead to policy change at the state and national level. Speakers will include leaders from state and national product stewardship organizations, including speakers from the NYPSC. For more information, contact Evan Newell of the Syracuse Center of Excellence EFC. 

Rechargeable Batteries
The NYPSC and Call2Recycle will be co-sponsoring a webinar on the New York   Rechargeable Battery Law in early October. We'll have the date and more details on the webinar in our next newsletter.

Product Stewardship Elsewhere

Momentum for paint product stewardship is building in the Northeast with the passage of Connecticut Paint  Bill, SB 828, signed into law on May 24th. This is the third state to pass the industry supported legislation; see the press release for more information.  

Vermont Mercury Lamp Recycling Law
Also in May, Vermont  became the third state to require manufacturers of lamps containing mercury to pay for collection programs starting July 1, 2012. 

Federal Bill on E-Waste Export
A bill to ban the export of e-waste from the U.S. to developing nations has been introduced with bi-partisan sponsorship in the House and Senate. This bill is intended to address the problem of increasing exports to nations with inadequate regulatory and/or technical capacity to ensure its safe handling and recycling. The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011 (HR 2284/ S1270) also has the support of several electronics manufacturers and retailers including Dell, HP, Apple, Samsung, and Best Buy.  

New Partners 

New  Steering Committee Members 

We'd like to welcome our two newest Steering Committee members, Ron Gonen and Dawn Timm. Ron is the co-founder of RecycleBank, and a highly energetic eco-entrepreneur. He has been recognized by a number of leading business and environmental organizations including the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, the United Nations Environment Programme as a Champion of the Earth, and by Time Magazine as a Social Responsibility Pioneer. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, and a Henry Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute. 

Our seventh local government representative, Dawn Timm of Niagara County, is the Director of the Environmental/Solid Waste Management Division of the Niagara County Department of Public Works, located in Lockport, New York. She's responsible for developing, coordinating and implementing various sustainability and solid waste and recycling programs in 20 municipalities and 13 school districts. Dawn also serves as the Region 9 representative and Secretary for the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3).

The NYPSC is grateful to have these two energetic leaders on our team as we expand the Council and our outreach to stakeholders.  

Save the Date

The NYPSC will be presenting a panel at the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse & Recycling Conference at Cooperstown, New York, November 16-17, with speakers on mercury products, packaging product stewardship, and framework legislation. See the NYSAR3 website to register for the conference and check for further details.  

Free Membership in Product Stewardship Institute 

For New York Local Governments

Did you know that all New York local governments are entitled to free Full Membership in the Product Stewardship Institute?