Legislative Solutions

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• EPR refers to manufacturers positively managing the environmental impacts (throughout the life-cycle) of their products.
• This is an emerging pollution prevention and waste management principle that focuses on systems of production instead of production facilities.

Aim

To encourage producers to prevent pollution and reduce resource and energy use at each stage of the product life-cycle through changes in product design and process technology.

Applies to products such as:

Beverage containers, scrap tyres, batteries, electrical equipment, end-of-life vehicles, used oil, paint, pharmaceuticals, solvents, fuels & pesticides, furniture, to name but a few.

An example of Industry Stewardship Programmes in Canada

Industry stewardship initiatives have a prominent place on the roadmap to zero waste and, taking Canada as an example, such programmes perform a conspicuous part in reducing waste going to landfill.

Download the following reports:

A summary report by Michael Jessen outlining Industry Stewardship and Producer Responsibility in Canada (PDF 38 KB)

A more comprehensive report entitled Industry Product Stewardship and Beverage Container Waste Management Programs in Canada (PDF 334 KB)

'Extended Producer Reponsibility: Container Deposit Legislation Report', by the Zero Waste New Zealand Trust, September 2002 (PDF 126 KB)

British Columbia Product Stewardship (PDF 1.1 MB)

 
EPR in New Zealand?
Other references
The history of EPR

Landfill Levies

• Landfill levies are a good example of 'green taxation'.
• They shift the burden of tax from labour onto the consumption of resources.
• They encourage waste minimisation by motivating waste producers to recycle or prevent the generation of waste.

Landfill levies (on top of the usual tipping fees) have been implemented in the following countries:

UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland, Australia (some States).

South Australia

In South Australia the landfill levy has doubled in price. The increase in revenue will fund Zero Waste South Australia (ZWSA), a new statutory waste body charged with dramatically reducing waste to landfill.

The formation of ZWSA provides a new legislative framework under which the Government can work with the private sector and Local Government to drive a new and integrated strategy for waste reduction in this state.

For more information go to www.epa.sa.gov.au .