One of the primary goals of a zero waste policy must be the concept of 'Extended Producer Responsibility' (EPR)
The aim of EPR is to send responsibility for wasted resources back up the production chain and thereby encourage producers to prevent pollution, reduce resource and energy use at each stage of the product life-cycle through changes in product design and process technology.
Enforcement is either by a mandatory system that is enacted by state or national governments, or a voluntary system whereby industry takes the initiative.
Making producers pay for the waste (wasted resources and post consumer waste) and pollution they generate will create an incentive to incorporate a broader range of environmental considerations into their product design and choice of materials. This in turn reduces consumption of resources at the various stages of the life-cycle of a product or package.
The 3 key elements are:
- extending responsibility for the product to the manufacturing stage
- the producer's responsibility is physical and/or financial - producers either physically take back and recycle their products or pay a third party to do so
- guidelines are usually set by government and require specific recycling rates, define what counts as recycling, and require data collection and reporting to ensure compliance
EPR has already demonstrated a major impact on the waste hierarchy as well as on product and package design. Furthermore, this impact has spread well beyond the borders of the countries that have EPR policies in place.
The major drivers for EPR have come in countries experiencing severe shortages of landfill capacity (sound familiar ?)
Nevertheless, environmental benefits go well beyond reducing pressure on this type of disposal facility. Well-designed EPR programmes encourage both reduced use and recycling of resources. They result in reduced energy and materials consumption, along with reduced pollution.
To summarise EPR is a key instrument in achieving sustainability.
Additionally the other types of producer responsibility are:
- Liability - responsibility for environmental damage caused by the product in question
- Economic responsibility - covering all or part of costs for collection, recycling or final disposal of products manufactured and may charge a special fee (incurred by consumers)
- Physical responsibility - manufacturer is involved in physical management of the products or of the effect of the products. This can range from developing the necessary technology, to managing the total "take back" system for collecting or disposing of products he has manufactured for which a fee may be incurred
- Ownership - assuming both physical and economic responsibility
- Informative responsibility - responsibility for providing information on the product or its effects at various stages of its life cycle. Take-back schemes generally combine both economic and physical responsibility
As an immediate starting measure ESCC needs to look into 'take back' schemes for supermarkets so that the used-packaging could be returned with a weekly supermarket visit and deposited in the supermarket mandatory re-cycling bins
Once the supermarkets are forced to 'take back' excessive packaging then there will be an immediate re-assessment of their product packaging for the benefit of everyone
Don’t forget that you can also - Initiate Legal Action.
Consumers can take action under Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 1941, Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 by contacting their local trading standards officer.
For example, Schedule 1, Sec. 1 states: Packaging shall be so manufactured that the packaging volume and weight be limited to the minimum adequate amount to maintain the necessary level of safety, hygiene and acceptance for the packed product and for the consumer;
There may also be grounds for action under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 if the packaging misrepresents the product
So the urgent message to ESCC is start implementing relatively simple measures to reduce waste immediately - this means NOW and not in a further 10 years
Although simple, these measure will have an enormous impact further down the waste chain because if supermarkets cut their packaging then it doesn't have to be disposed of later. Also they don’t take 10 years and an army of costly ESCC employees to implement!