How do We Get More Take Back Programs? Advocacy and Law!
Here are some great examples of EPR in action with successful legislation in California:
- Bottles and Cans: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1987 “California’s Bottle Bill”
- This program is responsible for the 5 cents (or more) deposit that you can get back when you take your bottles and cans to recycling centers for redemption. The fees collected from this Act support many recycling programs across California.
- Carpet: The Carpet Stewardship Act of 2010 (AB 2398)
- Every year about 1,000,000,000 pounds of carpet is discarded in California and very little is recycled. The carpet stewardship act, with the establishment of the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), aims to change this by collecting carpet recycling fees to support carpet collection and recycling businesses. Find out more about the program here.
- Mattresses: The Used Mattress Recycling and Recovery Act
- To prevent the ongoing issue of illegally dumped mattresses on local sidewalks and streets, the used Mattress Recycling and Recovery Act was passed in 2013 with SB 254. Find out more about the Mattress Recycling Council and the com program created with this legislation.
- Medications: The Alameda County Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance
- Supported by the CVSan Board, this program which was established in July 2012 is responsible for the pharmaceutical collection bins in Castro Valley and other areas of Alameda County. Making sure pharmaceuticals are disposed of properly so they don’t end up as a threat to human health or the environment, the MedProject has been very successful in collection and proper disposal in Alameda County.
- Paint: The Paint Stewardship Act of 2010 (PaintCare)
- Household paint can be taken back to local paint stores (Kelly Moore in Castro Valley) and recycling as a result of this program. A national stewardship (EPR) program run by PaintCare, paint take back and recycling has been expanded to many states now because of this legislation. In 2010, AB 1343, California’s Paint Stewardship Act passed creating the PaintCare program afterwards to collect and recycle used paint. PaintCare now has over 800 collection sites in California.
- Sharps (Needles): In addition to an Alameda County Ordinance for sharps in 2015, a combination medications and sharps EPR law was passed in 2018 at the state level with SB 212. According to California Product Stewardship Council, the illegal disposal of sharps poses serious health risks to children, sanitation workers, water treatment facility operators and the general public and an estimated one million Californians using over 900 million needles a year.The Alameda County MedProject mentioned above includes the local program for sharps in Castro Valley.
- Thermostats: The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act of 2008
- The first extended producer responsibility legislation to become law in California in 2008, AB 2347 The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act established a collection program which CVSan participates in at our Main Office. For more information on the program, please visit thermostat-recycle.org.
CVSan Letters of Support for EPR “Take Back” Legislation
At CVSan we will support certain EPR legislation from time to time if it’s in the benefit of our District and the community. Often times EPR legislation protects fee payer money (otherwise known as everyone who pays an ACI bill in CVSan). In 2012, the CVSan Board established Resolution 3289 which acknowledged that EPR is a policy approach in which producers assume financial and operational responsibility for management of waste products and which has been shown to be effective; and there are significant environmental and human health impacts associated with improper management of universal waste, sharps, pharmaceuticals and other products.
The following are letters CVSan has drafted and sent to support EPR legislation:
- Alameda County Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance
- CVSan Board Resolution 3289 on August 7, 2012
- Alkaline Battery and Safe Needle Management
- AB 1159 – CVSan Letter on April 22, 2015
- Carpet Stewardship Act of 2010
- Amendment Bill AB 1158 – CVSan Letter on March 29, 2017
- Amendment Bill AB 729 – CVSan Letters on June 7 and July 2, 2019
- Household Battery Producer Responsibility
- SB 1100 – CVSan Letter on June 15, 2010
- Photovoltaic Module Collection and Recycling
- Priority Packaging
- Safe Medication Management
- SB 1014 - CVSan Letter on July 22, 2014
Want to Get More Involved in EPR and Take-Back Advocacy?
We highly recommend following and participating in advocacy campaigns lead by Californians Against Waste and the California Product Stewardship Council.
(510) 537-0757