Zero Waste-On the Move Around the World (2000)
US Communities, Retailers and Other Countries Begin to Implement Producer Responsibility
by Sam Cole

Where does a good recycler go to get rid of goods designed for disposal? Producer Responsibility puts the responsibility for materials entering waste system on the manufacturer instead of leaving the consumer holding the bag.

Producer Responsibility, or Take Back laws, where the manufacturer must take their product or packaging back for remanufacture or reuse, are now on the books in 29 countries. Fifteen countries have similar laws for batteries, and nine countries have PR laws for electronics. The concept is popular in Europe, and has spread to Asia and Latin America. 

WhoÌs Implementing Producer Responsibility?
Massachusetts Bans Monitors from Landfill

In a move that is sending a clear message to computer makers, Massachusetts has become the first state to ban cathode ray tubes (CRTs) from landfills. CRTs are commonly found in computer monitors and contain an average of 5-8 pounds of lead per unit. It is hoped that the Massachusetts ruling and others like it will prompt computer companies to find alternatives to the heavy metals currently used in computer manufacturing. Although the EPA has classified CRTs as hazardous waste, the Massachusetts law, adopted April 1, 2000, closed a loophole which previously allowed residents and businesses to throw away up to 220 pounds of CRTs monthly. 

TV Fee Fails in South Carolina Legislature
A proposed $5 fee on electronics with cathode ray tubes, which includes televisions and computers, has failed in the South Carolina state assembly. Advocates of the bill say the surcharge is needed to develop recycling markets and a recovery infrastructure for old electronics. 

Cities Ban Mercury Thermometers
Cities and states across the country are taking action to keep mercury out of the environment by banning the sale of mercury thermometers and other consumer products that contain mercury. Digital thermometers offer an environmentally-preferable alternative to mercury thermometers. Areas that are developing or have proposed legislation aimed at Producer Responsibility for safe thermometers include the state of New Hampshire, Dane County, WI, Los Angeles, Duluth, MN, and San Francisco. Banning mercury in thermometers keeps a dangerous and highly toxic material from leaching into groundwater, and sends manufacturers the message that they need to produce a less toxic product. 

Retailers Go Mercury-Free
The following retailers no longer sell products containing mercury, including mercury thermometers: Brooks, Target, Wal-Mart, AlbertsonÌs, Kinney, Toys ÎRÌ Us, Safety First, The First Years and Meijers. Mercury is a neurotoxin, which means it can affect how a person walks, talks, sees or thinks, according to a coalition of organizations called Health Care Without Harm, which advocates for eliminating pollution from medical practices. The group says thermometers are the leading cause of mercury in the solid waste stream.

Greener Packaging
Denmark is proposing a tax break for companies that use environmentally-friendly, recyclable packaging such as paper and glass. The August 15, 2000 proposal states that packaging with greater environmental impacts, like Styrofoam and aluminum, would incur a surcharge. Denmark already encourages companies to use less packaging by taxing by weight, but the new guidelines would tax packaging by type as well.

New Zealand Still Leads the Way
There are now 26 communities in New Zealand that are taking part in a national pilot project with the aim of achieving Zero Waste at the local level. The Zero Waste initiatives include a commitment to dramatically reduce waste sent to landfills and a strategy in which each community decides which Zero Waste activities are most appropriate for their localities. Each community receives $25,000 from the Zero Waste New Zealand Trust to jump start their Zero Waste programs. The program was originally designed to fund waste efforts in ten communities, but the popularity of the program resulted in funding for an additional 16 communities. 

Refillable Plastic Bottles in Germany
The German environmental agency is urging shoppers to opt for refillable plastic bottles instead of disposable cans and glass bottles. A recent study concluded that refillables are far kinder to the earth in terms of resource use and global warming impacts. 

Refillable Beer Bottles in Canada
Brewers in Ontario, Canada are being credited with recovering over 1.7 billion bottles from the waste stream through an industry reuse program. Ninety-eight percent of the glass bottles were recovered and refilled. Bottles were reused an average of 14 times. 

Pallet Reuse
The Landfill Reduction Act of 2000, introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Bob Matsui (D-CA) on July 20, 2000 would boost the Producer Responsibility of pallet makers. The measure would help subsidize the initial capital costs incurred by companies making the switch from disposable pallets and cardboard boxes to reusable pallets and plastic bins. 

U.S. Companies Jump on the Producer Responsibility Bandwagon 

• Xerox takes back office equipment for recycling at the end of its useful life. The program has been profitable and prompted Xerox to redesign its products for recyclability.
• Instead of selling carpet to a customer who is then eventually responsible for that carpetÌs disposal, Interface Inc. leases carpeting so that the company can recycle it back into new carpeting at the end of its useful life. Companies with similar programs include 3M, Dupont, Milliken and Collins & Aikman. 

Disposable Cameras Get Ten Lives From Kodak ÏTake BackÓ Program 
Kodak has taken heat from environmentally-minded consumers for its disposable cameras. In response, the company began a ÏTake-BackÓ program in 1990 to reuse and recycle the cameras. Components are reused up to ten times in new cameras, except for the acrylic lenses, which are ground up and recycled into new products. Once the camerasÌ parts have been used ten times they are recycled into new components. Kodak pays photo-finishers for used cameras, providing a financial incentive for retailers to collect them. However, consumers should verify that their photo-finisher returns these cameras to Kodak; some businesses with limited space do not. Generic brand disposable cameras are not returned for recycling. Recycling programs for other major brands of disposable cameras exist but are not as widespread as the Kodak program.

One drawback to disposable cameras is that they tend to be excessively packaged, though the paperboard and foil they come in can be recycled. Kodak says it has saved 20,000 tons of waste by preventing the disposal of 250 million of its single use cameras. Yet, 24 percent of the cameras are never recycled by the purchaser and most likely end up in the landfill.

New Universal Composting for Biodegradable Plastic Is On Its Way
Companies that practice Producer Responsibility by making biodegradable plastic may soon be able to use a new ÏCompostable LogoÓ to promote their products. Only products that conform to a ÏcompostabilityÓ standard set by the American Society for Testing and Materials will be permitted to use the new logo. Most biodegradable plastic on the market is made from cornstarch, such as bags and cutlery from Biocorp (www.biocorpusa.com). These plastics biodegrade best in a municipal or industrial facility instead of a home compost bin.