RESOLUTION NO. _____________

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA

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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

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RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, that

WHEREAS, manufactured goods and packaging constitute the vast majority of the materials managed by the County of San Mateo and its Cities; and

WHEREAS, these items are sent to landfills, costing County residents and businesses millions of dollars a year in refuse rates plus millions more in taxes to manage the waste; and

WHEREAS, on February 8, 2006, a State law took effect that makes it illegal to throw in the garbage items defined as “universal waste,” which includes household batteries, fluorescent bulbs or tubes, thermostats, other items that contain mercury, as well as electronic devices including VCRs, microwaves, cellular phones, cordless phones, printers, and radios; and

WHEREAS, when additional products are declared hazardous by the State, the burden to manage these items will fall to local jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, there are significant environmental and human health impacts associated with household products that contain toxic ingredients, including mercury, lead, cadmium and other toxic chemicals that, when disposed of improperly, can contaminate water supplies; and

WHEREAS, by covering the costs of collection, recycling and disposal, local governments are subsidizing the production of waste generated by manufacturers; and

WHEREAS, Extended Producer Responsibility is an environmental policy approach in which producers assume responsibility—financial and/or physical—for the management of post-consumer products, so that those who produce and use products bear the costs of recycling and proper disposal; and

WHEREAS, when brand owners are responsible for ensuring their products are recycled responsibly, and when health and environmental costs are included in the product price, there is a strong incentive to design and purchase goods that are more durable, easier to recycle, and less toxic; and

WHEREAS, it is timely to develop and support Extended Producer Responsibility legislation to address the universal waste sector of the waste stream in response to the State ban on universal waste from household disposal.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

1) That the Board of Supervisors urges its representatives in Sacramento to pursue Statewide Extended Producer Responsibility legislation targeted at universal waste that will give incentives for the redesign of products to make them less toxic, and shift the cost for recycling and proper disposal of products from the local government to the producer and distributor of the product; and

2) That the County of San Mateo supports producer responsibility policies such as leasing products rather than purchasing them, and requiring the manufacturers of products sold to County departments to offer less toxic alternatives, and to take responsibility for collecting and recycling their products at the end of their useful life; and

3) That the County of San Mateo will continue to support Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives and Statewide legislation beyond universal waste to cover areas including other hazardous products, bulky packaging, and items like plastics and multi-material products that are difficult to recycle.

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