Upstream is a big advocate of extended producer responsibility.
And with that in mind, the Athens, Ga.-based environmental group is out with a new paper entitled “Advancing Local Government's Interests through Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging.”
The paper, which the group said is the result of a “six-month dialogue among local government recycling experts,” is now open for a 30-day comment period.
Extended producer responsibility strives to shift the end-of-life management to producers and users of products, in this case packaging, including plastic packaging.
“Most citizens just want an easy, inexpensive way to recycle unwanted packaging,” said Sarah Hellekson, transit and solid waste manager for the City of Plymouth, Minn., in a statement. “Because local governments are so close to their citizens, they also want an easy, inexpensive, but also effective recycling program. The challenge is how to pay for it. EPR could help provide the necessary funding and systemic changes to take packaging design and recycling to the next level in the United States.”
The paper is available at www.upstreampolicy.org.