Bill Sheehan at the Procduct Policy Institute sent me this:

SAN FRANCISCO EPR RESOLUTION
Passed Unanimously Feb 14, 2006

[Extended Producer Responsibility]

Urging San Francisco’s State delegation to support statewide efforts to hold producers responsible for product waste, starting with toxic products defined as universal waste; requesting the Department of the Environment recommend local extended producer responsibility policies as well as work with necessary agencies to develop producer responsibility language for inclusion in City contracts.

WHEREAS, Manufactured goods and packaging constitute about seventy-five percent of the materials managed by the City and County of San Francisco and sent to landfill, costing San Francisco residents and businesses about $150 million a year in refuse rates plus millions more in taxes to manage; and

WHEREAS, On February 8, 2006, a state law takes effect that makes it illegal to throw in the garbage items defined as “universal waste,” which includes household batteries, fluorescent bulbs or tubes, thermostats, other items that contain mercury, as well as electronic devices including VCRs, microwaves, cellular phones, cordless phones, printers, and radios; and

WHEREAS, Assuming a fifty percent recovery rate, collecting and disposing of these products now banned from the trash will cost San Francisco an estimated additional $5 million each year; and

WHEREAS, When additional products are declared as hazardous by the State the burden to manage these items will fall to local jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, There are significant environmental and human health impacts associated with household products that contain toxic ingredients, including mercury, lead, cadmium and other toxic chemicals that when disposed of improperly can contaminate water supplies; and

WHEREAS, By covering the costs of collection and disposal, local governments are subsidizing the production of waste because manufacturers know that whatever they produce the local government will foot the bill for recycling or disposal; and

WHEREAS, Extended Producer Responsibility is an environmental policy approach in which producers assume responsibility—financial and/or physical—for the management of post-consumer products, so that those who produce and use products bear the costs of recycling and proper disposal; and

WHEREAS, When brand owners are responsible for ensuring their products are recycled responsibly, and when health and environmental costs are included in the product price, there is a strong incentive to design and purchase goods that are more durable, easier to recycle, and less toxic; and

WHEREAS, It is timely to develop and support extended producer responsibility legislation to address the universal waste sector of the waste stream first in response to the state ban on universal waste from household disposal; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors urges our representatives in Sacramento to pursue statewide extended producer responsibility legislation targeted at universal waste that will give incentives for the redesign of products to make them less toxic, and shift the cost for recycling and proper disposal of products from the local government to the producer and distributor of the product; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Department of the Environment develop producer responsibility policies such as leasing products rather than purchasing them, and requiring the manufacturers of products sold to City departments to offer less toxic alternatives, and to take responsibility for collecting and recycling their products at the end of their useful life; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City and County of San Francisco will continue to support extended producer responsibility initiatives and statewide legislation beyond universal waste to cover areas including other hazardous products, bulky packaging, and items like plastics and multi-material products that are difficult to recycle.

Bill. A question. Do state legislators listen to municipalities in California?

The resolution and related documents are posted under “Local Government EPR” at http://www.productpolicy.org/resources/index.html