Product Stewardship in Wisconsin Mark Walter Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department

Introduction Recycling in Wisconsin AROW Product Stewardship Efforts Membership Mission Vision Committees Product Stewardship Efforts What's next

Wisconsin’s Recycling Laws Beginning in 1991 Wisconsin law established bans on landfilling of a variety of materials. 1991 Lead Acid Batteries, Major Appliances, Waste Oils 1993 Yard Waste 1995 Aluminum Containers, Corrugated Paper or Other Containerboard, Plastic Containers #1 through #7, Foam Polystyrene Packaging, Glass Containers, Magazines, Newsprint, Office Paper, Steel Containers, Bi-Metal Cans, Waste Tires 2010 Consumer electronics 2011 Waste oil filters and spill material

Wisconsin Recycling Rates Recycling rates (2009) for materials banned from Wisconsin landfills: Wisconsin State-wide Waste Characterization Study, 2009 4

Recycling and Waste Reduction Professionals in Wisconsin Formed in 1990 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Association 9 Member Board

Membership 105 Members (2017) 56 % Government/Non Profit 44 % Business/Trade Association Wisconsin Integrated Resource Management Conference (WIRMC) 2017 – 18th year Jointly hosted by AROW, SWANA, and WCSWMA

AROW Mission “Provide statewide proactive leadership on waste reduction and recycling through education, advocacy, collaboration, programs and services.”

AROW Vision To serve as a professional-level interface and resource for recyclers, existing and potential market developers, environmental and non-environmental groups, government officials, equipment manufacturers, equipment dealers, and individuals committed to waste reduction, recycling, product stewardship and resource recovery. To provide members professional development opportunities through education, research, and the exchange of ideas, best-management practices and technical knowledge in all areas of waste reduction, recycling, product stewardship, and resource recovery. To inform the public, law-making bodies, the business community, and those involved with solid waste management of the environmental and economic importance of waste reduction, recycling, product stewardship and resource recovery.

Governor’s Task Force Report of the Governor’s Task Force on Waste Materials Recovery and Disposal (December 2006) “In a manner designed to minimize environmental, economic, and social costs to the residents of Wisconsin and beyond, the State of Wisconsin shall achieve and maintain an integrated materials management system consisting of enhanced producer responsibility for products, effective resource recycling and recovery, and responsible waste disposal - all designed to promote ecological and environmental sustainability.”

Task Force Report Recommendations Minimize Environmental, Economic and Social Costs Enhance Producer Responsibility for Products Promote Effective Resource Recycling and Recovery Promote Responsible Waste Disposal Promote Ecological and Environmental Sustainability

Advisory Committees Committee membership is limited to active AROW members. Made up of 7 main active members but open to all members’ participation. Community Education Organics & Food Residual Product Stewardship Public Place Recycling Government Affairs Hazardous & Special Waste

Product Stewardship Committee Work to influence and support current product stewardship initiatives and legislation Develop a product stewardship policy framework for AROW Educate members and their managers regarding product stewardship initiatives Identify/shape product stewardship legislative priorities for Wisconsin

AROW Product Stewardship Policy BACKGROUND AROW believes product stewardship can minimize the product’s life-cycle environmental impact by: 1. improving the design and manufacture of products and their packaging to facilitate their reuse, recycling, or recovery and 2. establishing programs to collect, process and reuse, recycle or recover products and their packaging when they are discarded. PURPOSE - to establish guiding principles of product stewardship AROW’s GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP It is in the best interest of Federal, state, and local governments, industries, consumers and taxpayers to reduce the adverse environmental and financial impacts of consumer products and their packaging AROW’s ROLE AROW will promote these principles in its dissemination of information and training and in its advocacy role as a voice for local governments Approved by the AROW Board of Directors on April 21, 2009

Product Stewardship Survey - 2012 Municipal Recycling & Solid Waste Program Managers Conducted by UW-River Falls Survey Research Center Electronics, bulky items/furniture, and household hazardous waste top three concerns. Nearly two-thirds of respondents were not familiar with the terms “product stewardship” or “extended producer responsibility.” Over half of respondents have referred residents to the E-cycle Wisconsin electronics recycling program. Majority of respondents favor programs to require manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and fluorescent bulbs be responsible for disposal. Half of respondents favor management of leftover latex and oil-based paint.

Survey Results 1,017 Surveys 305 Respondents

Product Stewardship Survey Established AROW PS Priorities Latex paint Pharmaceuticals Batteries Mattresses Bulbs (CFLs) Carpet Other Materials: gas canisters, packaging, thermostats, radioactive devices, pesticides, phone books, sharps

WI Product Stewardship Efforts Electronics E-Cycle Wisconsin Took effect in 2010 Administered by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Recycled nearly 225 million pounds of electronics Legislation introduced to modify program

WI Product Stewardship Efforts Paint PaintCare American Coatings Association PSI Wisconsin 2015 Paint Survey Draft Fact Sheet Draft legislation Pharmaceuticals Mattresses

Future Product Stewardship Efforts Agricultural Plastics Single-Use Batteries Carpet

Questions? MARK WALTER Business Development Manager Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department 920-492-4965 walter_ma@co.brown.wi.us www.BrownCountyRecycling.org 20