The Nebraska Product Stewardship Initiative:

Building the Foundation

What is Product Stewardship?

“Product Stewardship" is a principle that directs all those involved in the life cycle of a product to take shared responsibility for reducing the health and environmental impacts that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of the product.

The Nebraska Product Stewardship Initiative

• Cooperative effort between non-profit organizations, municipalities, and solid waste agencies to build capacity and infrastructure for product stewardship

• Funding from NDEQ Litter Reduction and Recycling Fund Grant, through WasteCap Nebraska

• Assistance from Product Stewardship Institute in organizing and facilitating

Nebraska Leadership & Management Team

Understanding our Foundation:Identify what is occurring in the State

of Nebraska regarding product stewardship

Establish a baseline of current Product Stewardship activities in Nebraska upon which future programs can be built.

Nebraska Leadership & Management Team

Lash Chaffin, League of Nebraska MunicipalitiesSteve Danahy, Nebraska Department of Environmental QualityJulie Diegel, WasteCap NebraskaPaul Dunn, City of Omaha/Nebraska Environmental TrustCarrie Hakenkamp, WasteCap NebraskaGene Hanlon, City of Lincoln Jennifer Hoevet, SWANA/Olsson AssociatesDan King, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health DepartmentJane Polson, Keep Nebraska BeautifulProduct Stewardship Institute (PSI) – Scott Cassel, Sierra Fletcher, and

Caitlin McAllister

Already Happening in NebraskaCollection & recycling services for:

– Spent rechargeable batteries (Call2Recycle)

– Old thermostats (TRC - thermostat recycling corporation)

– Fluorescent lamps (Another Bright Idea)

– Spent electronics (e-scrap)

– Auto switches (ELVS)

1992 Solid Waste Management Act

• “Advanced disposal fee” of $1.00 per automobile car passenger tire sold

• Supports Nebraska DEQ fund for the proper recycling and disposal of scrap tires.

• $1 million dollars goes into the Scrap Tire Recycling Fund each year

• Remaining amount goes into the NDEQ Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Fund grant program for promoting waste reduction and recycling in the state

1992 Solid Waste Management Act

Landfill Disposal Bans in the Nebraska: – Tires

– Lead acid batteries

– Waste oil

– Household appliances (white goods)

– Yard waste (grass and leaves)

– Unregulated hazardous waste (except from households)

• Local governments• Keep America Beautiful (KAB)

Affiliates• Resource and Conservation Districts

(RC&Ds)• WasteCap Nebraska• University of Nebraska – Extension• Manufacturers and retailers

The NDEQ and Nebraska Environmental Trust provide funding support to local and regional governments as well as non-governmental organizations for proper collection and disposal of selected materials.

Nebraska Baseline Data

• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Services 2009-10o5 permanent facilitieso40 collection eventso>1.1 million pounds of HHW

collected o>$2 million spent

Nebraska Baseline Data

• Electronics (excludes retailers)oCollection events: 30

communitieso> 425,000 pounds of

electronics collectedo>$540,000 spent

Nebraska Product Stewardship Initiative: Building a Foundation

• Nebraska practice of government-funded collection programs are not full product stewardship because they do not share proportional responsibility with industry

• Voluntary programs do provide infrastructure for future industry-operated product stewardship programs

Nebraska Product Stewardship Initiative: Building a Foundation

•By supporting sustainable end-of-life solutions for consumer products, Nebraska is already putting the pieces together to build product stewardship throughout the state

•Through this initiative, opportunities are available to participate in national voluntary product stewardship programs