To see if the Town will vote to resolve to support advocacy by Zero Waste Arlington at the state level in support of Extended Producer Responsibility legislation; or take any action related thereto.

(Inserted at the request of the Zero Waste Arlington Committee)

( 4 - 0)

Ms. Mahon was not present.

The Board had a second hearing at which the the Zero Waste Committee presented new, Arlington-specific language and the Select Board voted again.  The updated language is shown in the Vote Language section below; the original language is in the Select Board Report.

Their report contains this original statement:

All members of the Board whom heard this article support and urge action on extended producer responsibility “EPR” legislation.   EPR as a broad policy charges product manufacturers with varied product-category-specific obligations with respect to the lifecycle of goods, ranging from measures to extend the lifespan or ability to repair certain products, to requiring recycling and hazard waste management by manufacturers for those goods which are expensive and/or difficult to safely dispose of by communities.  The end goal is to reduce waste overall, encourage recycling of resources, and force thoughtful design and product management to mitigate the harms of hazardous materials. The majority of the Board supports a resolution to provide legislators and Commonwealth agencies support for such legislation.  Mr. Diggins concurs with the values articulated by the resolution, but is unconvinced that a Town Meeting Resolution is the optimal vehicle for the pursuit of such goals.

ARTICLE 64 RESOLUTION/STATE PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY LEGISLATION

To see if the Town will vote to resolve to support advocacy by Zero Waste Arlington at the state level in support of Extended Producer Responsibility legislation; or take any action related thereto.

(Inserted at the request of the Zero Waste Arlington Committee)

Resolution in Support of Producer Responsibility Legislation

WHEREAS:

?     Approximately 19,605 tons of discarded materials and products were sent to disposal and recycling from our community in CY22, at a cost of $3,753,652. (total hauling and processing for trash, recycling, & HHW); and

?     45% of our discards are printed paper and packaging, and another 30% are other manufactured goods managed by solid waste authorities in the United States, based on ?gures reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and

? Municipal waste management systems were established a century ago to manage wastes like ashes, food scraps and horse manure, rather than the wide array of manufactured goods and packaging which dominate today’s municipal waste, and

?     Local governments such as Arlington have no input into the design or marketing of products, minimal in?uence over consumer behavior, make no pro?t from the products, and do not have the resources to adequately address the rising volume, toxicity and complexity of discarded products, and

?     Costs paid by residents, businesses, and local governments to manage products at the end of use are, in e?ect, subsidies to producers that enable and encourage producers to design products for disposal and without regard to end-of-life management, and

?     Producer Responsibility (“PR”) is an approach in which brand owners and importers accept responsibility for the cost and, in some cases the management, of their post-consumer products, and are incentivized to design products that are more durable, easier to repair and recycle, and less toxic, and

?     PR creates jobs and economic development in direct proportion to the amount of material recycled while businesses that provide take-back opportunities for their customers or participate in PR programs can create customer loyalty, and enhance the image of their brand, and

?     The Massachusetts Municipal Association passed a resolution which supports statewide producer responsibility legislation in January 2019.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Arlington urges the Massachusetts State Legislature to enact pending and future Producer Responsibility legislation. These laws will relieve municipalities of this ever-rising cost, and/or give producers the incentive to sell products that are less toxic and easier to reuse and recycle, by requiring such producers to bear the costs for the proper recycling and responsible disposal of their products. Pending legislation in the 2022-2023 legislative session includes SD1691 (printed paper and packaging), HD1156, SD1482, (paint), and HD2607, (mattresses).

Select Board Report

Update Resolution Language