California presents new producer responsibility bill

A bill introduced by Assembly member Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) aims to reduce waste, litter, and greenhouse gases and create thousands of green jobs. The California Product Stewardship Act, AB 283, would incentivize producers to design products and packaging that are less toxic, more durable, reusable, recyclable and/or biodegradable.

AB 283 is supported by the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC). CPSC is an organization of local governments and other partners, formed to support development and implementation of product stewardship.

Even with new recycling programs, California is still generating more waste than ever – 40 million tons annually. In a free market, extended producer responsibility (EPR) reduces waste while creating opportunities to grow businesses and jobs in recycling and manufacturing industries.

“EPR policies are working in Canada, Europe, Japan and other countries,” said Heidi Sanborn, executive director of CPSC. “The primary responsibility should rest with producers because only they make design and packaging decisions. It is far less expensive to design a product and packaging to reduce waste than it is to create expensive end-of-life disposal and recycling systems.”