IN SUPPORT OF ANNUAL COUNTY MEMBERSHIP OF THE PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE
Product Stewardship or Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a product-centered approach to environmental
protection that calls on all those in the product life cycle – designers, manufacturers, retailers, users and waste
managers to share responsibility and costs for reducing the adverse environmental impacts of products. The greatest
responsibility lies with the producers who have the most ability to affect the lifecycle environmental impacts of the
product through product design and marketing. Product stewardship holds producers responsible for the costs of
managing their products at end of life. Product stewardship facilitates passing on the costs of end of life product
management to the direct users of such products, not all municipal taxpayers, and allows consumers to make a
conscious choice between products with greater or lesser adverse environmental impacts based on cost.
Benefits of Product Stewardship and EPR:
 Reduces government cost: Product stewardship programs can save local governments money spent on HHW
and other waste management programs. (The electronics recycling law is an example of a program where the
cost of recycling computers and televisions has been passed from the county to the manufacturer.)
 More recycling opportunities & less disposal helps the state and county to reach recycling goals.
 See the Product Stewardship Institute website for full member benefits the attached1 PSI membership Brochure.
4 Existing Illinois EPR:
 Electronics: Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act (September 2008)
 Electronics: The Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act (August 2011) - Ban
 Automobile Switches: Mercury Switch Removal Act (May 2006)
 Thermostats: Mercury Thermostat Collection Act (July 2010)
Current Illinois Product Stewardship/ Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives:
Paint - Legislation forming; see attached2 Paint Recycling legislation info sheet. The manufacturers are partners in the
movement; engaging proactively in the discussions on paint stewardship legislation. Illinois could gain financial benefits
of $17 million annually on the collection and management of roughly 2.2 million gallons of leftover paint every year. This
cost typically represents 50% of municipal Household Hazardous Waste budgets.
Carpet – New working group has formed; co-chaired by Jennifer Jarland of Kane County & Cameron Ruen of SWANCC.
See attached3 IL Carpet Action Plan, which rose out of the Carpet Recycling Summit in October 2012. One of the benefits
of this group will be the creation of a wider infrastructure for collection and recycling of carpet in Illinois counties.
Illinois Current Members:
State: IEPA
County: Champaign, DeKalb, Jackson, Kane, Kendall, Ogle, Peoria, Will, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Fayette, Grundy,
Macon, Madison
Municipal: Naperville, Chicago, Champaign, Galena, Lanark, Urbana, Pontiac, Oak Park, Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus
Agency & Council: SWALCO, SWANCC, Tri-County Resource & Waste Management
Association: ILCSWMA, IRA
Ongoing Membership:
All IL counties are currently eligible for honorary full-member status thanks to a grant last year. As of Dec 2013 we will all
be asked to support the Product Stewardship movement in IL by become full paying members.
The lobbying question:
Please see attached4 Lobbying Guidelines for definitions and discussion on when advocacy becomes lobbying.
Attachments:
1
PSI membership Brochure
Paint Fact Sheet
3 IL CarpetActionPlan
4 Lobbying Guidelines
2 IL