Why is Extended producer responsibility important for waste management?

Climate change, urbanization, conservation and bottled water are all among popular topics in environmentalism. What we do not always talk about is waste management. Waste management is a really salient field that is only becoming more important as we search for more efficient and environmentally friendly ways to dispose of our waste. Something that I find really interesting is extended producer responsibility (EPR). There are several approaches and techniques that municipalities employ when dealing with waste but extended producer responsibility is not always at the forefront.

Extended producer responsibility is a policy tool premised on the prevention of waste disposal involving the manufacturing industry and giving them the responsibility to collect their products after use by consumers. In short, the industry, not the government, is responsible for internalizing waste management costs in their product prices. The EPR strategy is best epitomized by the Beer Store. All beer bottles that are purchased at the store by the consumer can be sold back to the manufacturer as the Beer Store will re-buy the bottles that they have sold you. Although they buy the bottle back from the consumer at a low cost, it still encourages recycling and reusing.

I think the extended producer responsibility model should be adopted and enforced vigorously across the country. British Columbia is the only province that has been pro-active in implementing such a policy. Through British Columbia’s ‘full product stewardship’ legislation, all parties with a role in designing, producing, selling or using a product are responsible for minimizing the environmental impacts of the product over its life. Cutting down on waste will require legislation that stipulates that all industries have the obligation to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, reduce the use of hazardous materials in products, and increase the recycled content of consumer products.

EPR teaches both producers and consumers about their waste habits and educates them about the steps needed for creating a sustainable society prone to high waste diversion. Finally, an EPR policy can stimulate innovation in manufacturing companies through reducing materials, resources and energy usage.

Key message: This is an efficient and recycling sound initiative that not only educates consumers about conservation and recycling, but provides them with an economic incentive to be greener. Waste management only becomes a more transparent and an environmentally friendly process when industries are on board. What better way to do this than through the implementation of an extended producer responsibility policy.