Brian Boissonneault's Personal Care and Consumer Goods Blog

New York Product Stewardship Program: What Does it Mean for Your Household Goods Company?

By Brian Boissonneault, Personal Care Products Account Manager

In December of 2010, New York State issued an update to their Solid Waste Management Plan found here.  The update is 282 pages long and is the state’s first since 2000.  Throughout the lengthy document, the state outlines guidance on disposal technology valuation and new infrastructure being developed to handle today’s waste and tomorrow’s.  There is also data on New York’s effect on Global Warming, and the document is also packed with statistics of solid waste generation by volume and type.  Those statistics lead to a goal of reducing the municipal solid waste from each person, each day from 4.1 pounds to 0.6 by 2030.In order to reach such a lofty goal, the state plans to shift disposal responsibility from itself to producers of household goods sold within in its boundaries.  As many states are now doing, New York is working to institute product stewardship programs, segregated into a several categories.  The state has already enacted programs for rechargeable batteries and electronic devices.  Future programs will include: 

• pharmaceuticals,
• Household Hazardous Waste,
• packaging and printed products,
• mercury devices,
• paint,
• automobiles,
• carpets,
• office furniture,
• roofing shingles,
• appliances
• and tires. 

Under these programs, producers of covered goods will be responsible for funding disposal, transportation and responsible reuse of their products.  No “end of life” fees will be allowed to be imposed on consumers.  All producers will have to submit a management plan for their products which address the total life cycles.  These plans may be individualized, or may opt into waste management consortiums.  Retailers throughout the state will not be permitted to sell products from manufacturers who have not submitted that plan.  There is no date set for programs other than batteries and electronics.  However, with state funding for solid waste management growing smaller every year as compared to need, it’s clear New York intends to work expeditiously. 

The benefits of product stewardship programs to the environment are unclear.  New York already has some of the infrastructure to handle waste in the way they have displayed as most environmentally friendly.  There are already Household Hazardous Waste collection sites and days around the state.  Almost every municipality in the state has a recycling program.  Producers of household products are already reducing packaging and are attempting to use biodegradable or earth-derived materials. 

The only direct benefits outlined in the plan are to the finances of governmental agencies.  States and countries who have implemented product stewardship programs have seen reduced costs for waste management while increases in revenue to supply infrastructure.

Do you know where your blue bin waste goes?

Across America, in every office, warehouse and manufacturing facility you will find a sea of blue, seven gallon recycling bins.  They are as commonplace today as cell phones and iPods.  But what function do they serve?  We know the value of cell phones and iPods;  they provide us communication, entertainment and status.  If you polled 100 American workers, from different companies, how well would they be able to elaborate on their companies’ blue-bin recycling? 

To prove my point, here is a list of ten questions to ask.

1. What waste goes in the blue bins?
2. What are the contamination rules for recycling?
3. Where does the waste go from your site?
4. How much landfill space has your company saved through recycling?
5. How much energy has your company saved/created through its recycling effort?
6. What crude oil equivalent has been offset by your company’s plastic recycling versus new production?
7. What percentage of recyclable waste actually makes it into the blue bins?
8. How visible is your company’s recycling effort from the employee level?
9. Do your customers require your company to recycle as part of their supply chain management?
10. How much money has your company saved through recycling?

Creating and managing a recycling program is the same as any other business endeavor.  If a machine shop simply installed equipment, but never told its employees what end product to manufacture, how successful would they be?  If that same machine shop wanted to increase production, but never told its employees what the goals were nor what their current production statistics were, what are the chances they would actually increase production? 

Recycling offers companies direct and indirect revenue sources.  It preserves the environment.  And it reduces our dependency on foreign oil.  The keys to a successful recycling program are education and transparency.  If you are in charge of your company’s recycling effort, have you educated yourself?  Do you know all the recycling options that are available to you?  Do you have a trusted advisor to call who can guide you through the process?

 

Connecticut going Green?

by Brian Boissonneault, Personal Care/Consumer Goods Greening Expert

Last week, Govenor Malloy announced a proposal of consolidation state government agencies. His plan is to combine the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Utility Control into the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

In his Tuesday, after-hours press release, he said, "Merging these two functions under one leader will allow the state to act cohesively in two vitally important and directly related policy areas, particularly in terms of economic development, siting permitting and other issues. Under this new agency, we will better integrate and coordinate or state's energy and environmental in order to strengthen our ability to protect the environment; to clean; conserve and lower the cost of energy; and to set the table for rapid and responsible economic growth."

The proposal comes a week before Malloy's state budget will be delivered to the general assembly.

Ben Barnes, Malloy's budget director, answered questions Tuesday night after the announcement. He said the plan was less about filling budget gaps and more about planning for the future growth of the state. "We're trying to increase the level of attention and effort we provide in energy planning and policy, Barnes said. "We see energy as something critical to the economic success in Connecticut. It's one of the main obstacles to job growth and prosperity."

Obviously this bare bones outline needs to be further clarified. What are the actual benefits to the tax payer? Is this simply a euphemism for 'we're cutting government spending' or is there something more. It would be great if DEEP would have the tools to recognize the businesses in CT who offer their waste as fuel for the Wheelabrator waste to energy plant in Bridgeport. Perhaps this agency would have the authority to offer credits to companies who do so on some sort of net usage plan. Wouldn't that incentivize CT companies to both reduce waste and increase the supply of electricity? That sounds like a real purpose for this new agency to me.