San Francisco calls for statewide legislation on product waste responsibility
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is calling on California lawmakers to pass legislation to make product producers responsible for the costs of disposing of those products. The Athens, Ga.-based Product Policy Institute (PPI) says local governments in several states are pressing for similar legislation.
San Francisco’s resolution essentially asks the state to adopt a wider version of the Extended Producer Responsibility Framework policy that the California Integrated Waste Management Board adopted in January. By making product manufacturers responsible for disposing of the products, the policy motivates those manufacturers to redesign products to make them less toxic, more durable, and more easily disposed. “San Francisco’s resolution signals the beginning of the end to local governments providing ‘free’ disposal services to producers of toxic and throw-way products,” said PPI Executive Director Bill Sheehan in a statement.
Sheehan says local governments with declining revenues in several states are looking toward the approach for relief. “It’s really part of a trend, and local governments are pushing it,” Sheehan says. View More information on the San Francisco resolution and PPI’s response here.