This year, PSI and our dedicated community of state and local government officials, as well as representatives of companies, environmental groups, and others, helped grow the EPR movement, enacting four new laws, including two first-in-the-nation laws—household hazardous waste in Vermont and tires in Connecticut. As we look to the future, PSI is ready to continue our leadership role in the EPR movement.

Can you help? An incredible supporter has generously offered to match all donations up to $2,000 this year. Through this match, every dollar you donate will be doubled to support our work.



PSI is a small, highly skilled nonprofit (501c3) with a robust network, and we depend on the generosity of donors like you to make investments in developing EPR policies. We know that many organizations will request your support this season, but we hope that when it comes to annual giving, you will also consider PSI. Thank you! 

In late November, PSI began its consulting support to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) in its implementation of the state’s new producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products. PSI is facilitating monthly meetings and workgroup sessions, and providing technical and administrative support, for the producer responsibility program for statewide recycling Advisory Board (AB), which is tasked with providing feedback, consultations, and some recommendations to CDPHE and the producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance (CAA) on: (1) the Needs Assessment; (2) CAA’s Program Plan Proposal, including a Minimum Recyclable List, and the cost formula for reimbursement to service providers; (3) the Education & Outreach Program; (4) Eco-Modulation Schedule; (5) Individual Program Plan Proposals; and (6) the PRO annual report. For more information on the project, contact Darla Arians, CDPHE EPR Program Lead, at darla.arians@state.co.us, or Scott Cassel, PSI CEO/Founder, at Scott@ProductStewardship.us 

On October 13, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that will expand the existing PaintCare program in California. The law, which was backed by the American Coatings Association, a long time PSI Partner, requires the exemption for aerosol coatings to be removed from the architectural paint stewardship program by January 1, 2027. The stewardship program is managed by PaintCare, a PSI partner. AB 1526 adjusted the program's annual reporting timeline to better align with other PaintCare programs. Read more.

Over the last year, PSI partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 1) on a waste reduction project entitled “Restaurants Building Back Better with Less Packaging and Plastic Waste,” which aims to reduce single-use plastic foodservice ware purchased by small, women-owned, and minority-owned foodservice establishments in Massachusetts. Through this initiative, PSI recruited seven restaurants and foodservice establishments to participate in the program. Participating businesses received stipends and educational resources to implement source reduction and reuse projects. All resources and promotional materials have been translated into Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese to be more accessible to a wider range of businesses and individuals. View resources here.

The Marine Debris Foundation, a nonprofit created by the federal Save our Seas Act to prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris, recently announced Susan Sherman as its Founding Executive Director. In her role, Sherman oversees the organization’s mission, including funding related projects, and supporting policies that reduce marine debris, including EPR. Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, is on the founding Board of Directors and has been advocating for EPR as a main strategy to solve the marine debris crisis. Read more.

PERSPECTIVES ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP:

Navigating an extended producer

responsibility path to a circular economy

by Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI

If you are a PSI Member or Partner,

contact info@productstewardship.us for 30% discount code.

Four years in the making, Scott’s book covers his 40-year personal journey in the recycling field from a local volunteer to advocating for municipal recycling programs as a state government official, and to the creation of PSI. The book lays out abundant evidence on why a change to the US recycling system is desperately needed and how PSI and numerous others translated policy concepts into EPR laws. It also contains the process that PSI uses to create effective EPR laws through collaborative stakeholder engagement.  

Scott discusses the first two decades of the EPR movement in the U.S., where we are now in the journey, and expected trends for the future. The book outlines the basic principles of product stewardship and EPR, along with the roles played by each stakeholder group. And it traces the origin of the concept of responsibility, how it was incorporated into the environmental and EPR movements, and the reaction to it by corporations and others. The book also covers the major EPR laws developed in Europe and Canada that have provided the foundation for EPR laws in the U.S. It references many of the 25 product categories on which PSI works, with three in-depth case studies—on paint, batteries, and packaging.  

This is a must-read for all EPR professionals!

James Asali, President and CEO of PGC recently interviewed Sheila Millar, Partner at Keller and Heckman LLP, about packaging laws relative to environmental marketing, including discussion on the federal legal standards for marketing a product as “recyclable,” California’s Truth in Labeling Law, and what tension might exist between the two. In September, Sheila, who specializes in consumer protection regulatory practices, spoke at PSI’s 12th national Product Stewardship Forum on the session entitled, “Truth in Labeling & Next Generation Packaging.” In an exclusive Q&A, James and Sheila continue this crucial conversation. Read the Q&A here.

WE'RE HIRING!

Interested? Apply! Or help us spread the word. Please share the following information on these exciting new roles with those in your network who might be interested in joining our dedicated team of environmental stewards.

Policy and Program Manager: We are seeking a passionate, environmental policy enthusiast with experience in EPR and materials management programs, strong project management, and leadership skills to join our organization, which is leading the producer responsibility movement in the US. Join our team!



Marketing and Communications Coordinator: We are seeking an energetic and talented person with a passion for waste reduction and recycling policy and a talent for storytelling and advocacy to join our organization, which is leading the producer responsibility movement in the US. Join our team!

December 6, Boston – Scott Cassel will join the Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council and EPR/Product Stewardship bill sponsors for a legislator briefing the State House to offer a national perspective on EPR for paint, mattresses, packaging, and electronics.

April 2-4, New Orleans – Scott Cassel, PSI's CEO and Founder, will participate in the Sustainable Packaging Coalition's IMPACT 2024 Conference. Register here. 

According to a recent annual report, the Mattress Recycling Council has recycled more than 2 million mattresses in the Northeast since 2015, when PSI, the CT DEEP, the City of Hartford, other local governments, and Covanta developed a model mattress EPR bill that has now been enacted into law in Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, and Oregon. Read more.

An amendment to British Columbia’s Recycling Regulation, which would cover the obligation of online sales, mattresses, refillable propane tanks, fire extinguishers, automotive containers, additional batteries and medical sharps has recently been delayed and is now expected to be published in February of 2024. Read more.

President Biden issued a proclamation on America Recycles Day earlier this month calling American citizens to be diligent and businesses and manufacturers to adopt more sustainable strategies. Read more.

The North American Hazardous Materials Management Association maintains Affiliate Agreements – or reciprocal partnerships – with other organizations to enhance collaboration and information sharing in the field of hazardous materials management. PSI is proud to be one of those Affiliates. Our CEO and founder, Scott Cassel, is a four-time past president of NAHMMA, and PSI continues to collaborate with our colleagues in the HHW field on EPR and stewardship programs. Read more.

The Product Stewardship Institute is a policy advocate and consulting 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers the emerging circular economy. We rely on the generosity of our members, partners, and supporters to convene diverse stakeholders to build extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies, programs, and laws. Thank you!

The Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Persons with disabilities who require alternatively formatted materials to ensure effective communication should contact Amanda Nicholson at info@productstewardship.us or 617.236.4855.