Producer responsibility recycling group launches Web site
Communities pushing their states for extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework laws that require companies to dispose of used products now can connect with each other online through the Athens, Ga.-based Product Policy Institute (PPI) Web site. The organization promotes the creation of statewide EPR laws that reduce community waste management costs and encourage companies to manufacture safer, longer-lasting products.
Local governments in several states are pressing for EPR laws. Last year, San Francisco adopted a resolution encouraging state lawmakers to pass EPR legislation, and the California Waste Management Board and the Washington-based National Association of Counties also have adopted the framework, and are pushing for EPR legislation. “We welcome citizens and the local governments that serve them to our new website and hope visitors will be inspired by the great work and momentum that is building to address the root cause of our waste management problem,” PPI Executive Director Bill Sheehan said in a statement. “When producers are responsible for their waste, we will begin to see the end of the throw-away society.”
The PPI Web site includes easy-to-access background information on EPR, information on Product Stewardship Councils that have been formed by local governments in different regions of North America, tips from local councils and links to sites of interest.