RALEIGH, N.C. — Finding ways to reuse products after they have become worn down has traditionally been the job of consumers and local governments but a movement to place responsibility on producers is gaining ground.
A new report from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation investigated whether producer-led recycling programs are meeting environmental and financial goals. It discussed a policy called “extended producer responsibility,” which asks producers to find ways to recycle products like pens, soda bottles, sofas and electronics.
Suzie Boxman, director of programs for the foundation, said the policy is meant to restructure who is responsible for recycling.
“EPR is designed to impact how products are managed throughout their life cycle,” Boxman explained. “The idea being, shifting who is responsible for the management of those different products at the end of their use, so when you’re no longer needing it and it’s going to be disposed of.”
Virginia has only two EPR laws on the books. One of them, for recycling computers, is one of the worst-performing programs, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The report ultimately found there was insufficient data to determine if producer-led programs are successful.
It also identified a lack of standardized data across most communities. Much of EPR’s focus is on packaging materials, which account for more than a quarter of all garbage in the U.S. Boxman argued researching other products could provide great insight into the motivations leading to recycling.
“While those materials might be more commonly going to a recycling facility due to an implementation of an EPR policy, it’s difficult to tell whether or not that is directly due to the policy or if there are other factors in play,” Boxman acknowledged.
Seven states have passed laws regarding a producer-managed recycling program for packaging materials, including Virginia’s neighbor Maryland.
