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The Future of HHW: How Collection, Education and Product Stewardship Can Work Together Jim Quinn Metro Solid Waste and Recycling Department Portland, Oregon
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Metro’s Program Large urban HHW collection program, >50,000 customers annually, $4 million annual budget We spend about $100,000 annually on education- 1 full time staff person Involved in product stewardship- PSI member, active in paint dialogue, etc.
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Collection Began in early 1980s Several good reasons to collect: »Health & environmental impacts »CERCLA does not exempt HHW »Collection fosters education »Public demand »Regulations in some areas Today > 3,000 collection programs
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Collection program trends Events Permanent facilities Improving: » efficiency, environmental protection, worker protection Multi-faceted programs: »permanent + mobile »CESQG »latex paint recycling »other: emergency response, abandoned waste, etc. Taking on new waste streams: electronics, fluorescent tubes, etc.
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Participation trends Increasing convenience leads to more customers Ultimate: door-to-door In some cases growth has slowed Portland Metro still typically sees 7-8% annual growth
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How much HHW nationwide? 2 approaches: Percent of annual MSW- figures vary, 0.5% typical » 1.15 million tons total EPA: 20 pounds per household per year »1.3 million tons total Round figure: 1 million tons nationally Any good house to house surveys?
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Collection program effectiveness A)% of households served annually B)Average pounds per customer (A X B)/20= % of all HHW generated that your program is managing
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Collection program effectiveness (cont.) If: Every jurisdiction had a collection program Every collection program collected 50% of what’s out there At ~$1 per pound, we’d be spending $1 billion annually, but 1 billion pounds of HHW would still be going to landfills!
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Education Not just education about hazards & collection opportunities, but waste reduction- buy only what you need, use it up, give it away, etc. Evolution from simply handing out brochures, to changing behavior Community-based social marketing principles: determine barriers, pilot on a small scale, measure effectiveness, person-to-person contact, get people to make commitments, understand societal norms, use credible sources, etc.
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Education (cont.) Still a lot to learn about effectively changing behavior when it comes to HHW So far it is hard to show measurable impact on purchase and use of HHW products, except for highly targeted, small scale, intensive programs Staffing, funding is limited Meanwhile, industry spends countless millions getting people to buy more
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Product stewardship Why should government bear the burden of dealing with leftover hazardous products? The greatest responsibility lies with whoever has the most ability to affect the lifecycle environmental impacts of the product Shift the responsibility to industry (manufacturers, distributors and retailers) Ensure that products are nontoxic & recyclable Incorporate the cost of end-of-life management into the price
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Product Stewardship (cont.) Lots of recent activity on electronics, mercury-containing products, paint Some are skeptical that it can have a real impact on the quantity of HHW products coming into collection programs
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Collection & Education The existence of collection programs serves to educate people about the hazards Collection program users are already taking the first step- probably a receptive audience for waste reduction messages Target waste reduction education on wastes that are most problematic for collection programs- high volume, high cost, toxicity, difficult to recycle
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Collection & Education (cont.) Collection programs may be tailored to handle priority wastes, along with an education program- e.g. mercury & other PBTs Even if waste reduction education is completely successful, there will still be some wastes generated: spent batteries, used antifreeze & oil, etc.
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Collection & Product Stewardship Collection programs should consider avoiding taking on new wastes when product stewardship solutions are possible Target product stewardship on wastes that are most problematic for collection programs Advanced disposal fees may help fund existing collection programs Industry may operate their own collection programs
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Education & Product Stewardship The user of a product is an important part of the product chain and has their role to play Product stewardship programs should include a public education component Promote product stewardship concepts as a part of education programs
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Tying it all together All three tools are important Consider the role of industry, consumer, & government The appropriate mix of collection, education & product stewardship depends on the product Consider cost, public health & environmental impact, waste volume,
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Vision Manufacturers are fully engaged in reducing the impacts of their products, and in funding collection and education efforts Fully-funded education programs have had widespread success in changing the public’s use and disposal of hazardous products Convenient, fully-funded collection programs are available and used for disposal of all hazardous products that are still generated
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