Baled aluminum block at a PRO facility |
We used to call them recycling centers. But eleven
European packaging waste management groups -- ”Producer Responsibility Organisations” -- have issued a manifesto on Extended Producer Responsibility for
how best to manage waste with the packaging industry and the public … 1) EPR
organizations should be owned by the obliged companies and run on a not for
profit basis … 2) There needs to be strong governmental support and monitoring
… 3) There are many advantages of having one rather than multiple organizations
in each country [that’s for the European Union, in U.S. substitute “state”] …
4) The EPR organization needs to be set up in a way that ensures sustainable
financing … 5) The EPR organization should contribute to packaging optimization
and waste prevention … The eleven organizations have announced that a new
association will be launched in spring 2013 in Brussels to carry out the EPR
principles outlined in the manifesto ... Imagine if we could get producers to take responsibility for their packaging in this country and help support the recycling of the waste stream they create in order to sell their products.