COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Health Department

DATE:

May 12, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

May 20, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Charlene A. Silva, Director, Health Department

Brian J. Zamora, Director, Public Health and Environmental Protection Division

SUBJECT:

Resolution Supporting Extended Producer Responsibility

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution supporting statewide, local and regional efforts to promote Extended Producer Responsibility, an approach which holds producers responsible for product waste, starting with toxic products defined as universal waste.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, Effective, and Collaborative Government

Goal 20: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

Adopting an Extended Producer Responsibility resolution keeps to the commitment and goal by helping shift the future cost of managing product waste away from taxpayers and ratepayers and to the product manufacturers, distributors or retailers.

BACKGROUND:

As a steward of the public health and environment, San Mateo County plays a vital role in ensuring that our communities have safe, effective and affordable waste management systems. Since the inception of our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Program, the nature and quantity of household waste has changed dramatically and increased County costs.

Manufactured products account for 75% of the waste stream. Because certain products contain toxics (such as universal waste) or pose other hazards (such as pharmaceuticals and sharps), laws were developed to restrict the disposal of these products in landfills. These laws inevitably forced local governments to manage these waste streams at taxpayer expense. This, in effect, results in a subsidy for manufacturers and a strain on the County’s budget. Unfortunately, even the best efforts of County programs, given the resources available, fail to recover significant percentages of these hazardous products being sold to and used by County residents. Placing responsibility on local governments, without providing the necessary authority or resources, defeats the intent of these laws to protect public health and the environment.

DISCUSSION:

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), sometimes referred to as product stewardship, offers a new approach to waste management. EPR places responsibility for end-of-life management of the products on the producer. The California Integrated Waste Board (CIWMB) can sponsor legislation which would establish a level playing field for the management of universal waste. Producers themselves, with input from retailers and waste service providers, would design and sponsor product recovery programs.

California can lead the nation by learning from the EPR programs currently operating in other countries. Drawing from these models, the state could implement legislation that comprehensively and effectively shifts the responsibility of a product’s lifecycle back onto its producer thus protecting the environment, restoring market equity and preventing a looming fiscal crisis. By adopting a resolution supporting EPR, San Mateo County can support the efforts to expedite the implementation of the needed legislation, regulations and policies.

The proposed resolution expresses clear support for state-level action on EPR and strengthens the County’s existing environmentally preferable purchasing policy. It also empowers the Health Department, in collaboration with appropriate departments and the Environmental Quality Committee and Legislative Committee, to take a leadership role in the growing EPR movement on behalf of the County. The resolution was reviewed by the Board’s Environmental Quality Committee. They recommended that this item be forwarded to the Board for action.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no impact by adopting this Resolution.