The Carton Council In Action: Advancing the Policy Front, One Step at a Time

Betsy Dorn, Reclay StewardEdge November 12, 2014 Point Clear, Alabama

SERDC Recycling Summit Policymaking that Supports a Strong Recycling Industry

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First, Who is the Carton Council?

Carton manufacturers united to deliver long term collaborative solutions to divert valuable cartons from disposal

Associate Member

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Carton Council Voluntary Initiatives Generate Results

§  60,612,604 U.S. households, or 51.9%, with carton recycling access

§  47 states where carton recycling programs now exist

§  77 of top 100 U.S. cities have carton recycling access

§  9,500 communities with carton recycling access §  20 community campaigns have been conducted,

impacting 7.8 million households §  Approximately 200 MRFs across the U.S. accept cartons

§  25 grants have been given to schools across the country; impacts 750,000 students

§  5.2 million students now with school cartons recycling

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Improving  Recycling  in  the  U.S.    

Policy:  State  and  Local  Levels  

Improving  Access:  

End  markets,  Processing  

and  Collec@on    

   

Industry  Collabora@on  

Educa@on    to  Improve  Recovery  

Comprehensive Approach Needed

More  details  on  the  Carton  Council  Program:    www.cartonopportuni;es.org    

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Carton Council Approach To Policy

§  Experience and research to date indicates policies can be effective in building access and recovery

§  Carton Council supports use of local and state policy tools e.g. recycling laws (universal access, realistic recycling goals & planning requirements), disposal bans, PAYT

§  Pre-requisite: the right conditions prevail (e.g. infrastructure and markets) and when implemented using a best practices approach

§  Committed to collaboration with public and private stakeholders to further drive these policy objectives

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Carton Council Policy Knowledge Building Initiatives

§  Policy tools research and report, May 2014

§  July 2014 webinar on state policies tools

§  Policy dialogues in Minneapolis in August

§  Policy Forum, September 15,

Resource Recycling Conference, New Orleans

§  Carton Council Policy Report, Webinar and Forum presentations, and Forum Summary on CartonOpportunities.org

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Carton Council’s Research:

Policy Tools Driving Post-Consumer Packaging and Printed Paper Recovery

Completed in April 2014

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Carton Council Policy Research

§  Focused on state and local level policy and related programs:

o  Recycling laws o  Disposal bans

o  Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT)

§  Primary and secondary research including:

o  Literature review

o  Review of past studies o  Internet research

o  Interviews

National research covering all post-consumer packaging and printed paper materials

conducted by Reclay StewardEdge

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Research Findings

§  State-level disposal bans in 4 states

§  Three types of recycling policies in 18 states

§  PAYT policies in 5 states

§  Numerous local governments employing policy tools – with or without overarching state policy

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P  T  

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P  T  

S  T  

S   T  

P  T  

P  

P  

S   T  

S   P  S  T  P  

S   T   P  

T  S  P  

D  

D  

D  

T  

T  S  

P  

S  

Policy  Type  

Service  Provision/Level  

Par;cipa;on/Source  Separa;on  

Target/Goal  

Disposal  Ban  

S  P  T  D  

Disposal Bans & Recycling Policies by State

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State-Level Packaging &Paper Disposal Bans

Jurisdiction Glass Steel Aluminum Plastic Paper(a)

Massachusetts Containers Containers Containers 1-6 Bottles OCC, RP

North Carolina Containers(b) Containers 1-7 Bottles

Vermont Containers Containers Containers 1-2 Bottles OCC, RP

Wisconsin Containers Containers Containers 1-2 Bottles OCC, ONP, OMG, OP

Notes: (a) OCC=old corrugated containers, ONP=newspaper, OMG=magazines, OP=office paper, RP=all recyclable paper (b) Applies only to certain restaurants and bars with alcohol permits

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Types of Recycling Policies

1.   Recycling Service Provision o  Local governments/haulers expected to provide specified

recycling services based on defined criteria •  e.g. population greater than 4,000 or by generator type

2.   Recycling Participation/Source Separation o  Requires source separation of recyclables by all or certain

types of generators •  e.g. single-family, multi-family, commercial

3.   Recycling Target/Goal o  Local governments/state agencies expected to achieve

specified target or goal •  e.g. 50% recycling rate or diversion rate by X year

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State Level Recycling Policies

Jurisdiction Service Provision/Level

Participation/Source Separation

Target/ Goal

Material Specific

Not Material Specific

Material Specific

Not Material Specific

California ü   ü  

Connecticut ü   ü  

Delaware ü   ü   ü  

Florida         ü  

Maine ü   ü  

Maryland ü   ü  

Minnesota   ü       ü  

New Jersey ü   ü   ü  

New York ü  

North Carolina

    ü      

Oregon ü   ü  

Pennsylvania ü   ü   ü  

Rhode Island ü     ü     ü  

Vermont ü     ü     ü  

Virginia ü  

Washington   ü     ü    

West Virginia ü   ü  

Wisconsin ü   ü  

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States with PAYT Policies

State PAYT  Policies

 Minnesota

Local  governments  that  charge  for  solid  waste  collec;on  must  implement  a  fee  structure  that  increases  as  the  volume  or  weight  of  waste  collected  from  each  generator's  residence  or  place  of  business  increases.  

 Washington

Applies  mostly  to  private  collectors  that  operate  in  unincorporated  areas.  Does  not  apply  to  local  governments;  however,  the  law’s  existence  has  led  to  PAYT  throughout  the  state.    

 Oregon

No  legisla;ve  mandate,  but  PAYT  is  on  list  of  nine  recycling  elements  that  municipali;es  choose  from  when  designing  their  recycling  programs  to  comply  with  state  regula;ons.    

Iowa PAYT  at  the  local  level  can  be  required  if  recycling  goals  are  not  met.    

Wisconsin PAYT  at  the  local  level  can  be  required  if  recycling  goals  are  not  met.    

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PAYT Conclusions

§  One-quarter of the U.S. population lives in communities that have instituted PAYT policies

§  States historically have refrained from dictating means by which local governments fund their solid waste services

§  States can promote PAYT, provide technical assistance, offer incentives, and fund implementation – with or without requiring PAYT

Example of Voluntary State Program: MA DEP sets best or minimum infrastructure and services standards regarding

PAYT and specific pounds per household levels. If municipalities achieve those standards, they are eligible for

a specific $/ton diverted incentive payment. 40% of MA communities have PAYT.

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Considerations for Future Policy Decision Making

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Conclusions: Future Policy Decision Making

Existing Policy: EPR, deposit,

mandates, bans, PAYT

Recovery Infra-

structure & Access

Available Funding Mechanisms &

Programs

Political Climate: Legislative initiatives,

stakeholder positions

Local Circumstances Dictate Best Policy Approach

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Looking Ahead: Future Policy Decision Making

§  Finalize Policy Declaration and obtain signatures §  Issue Call for Action to:

1.  Commit to a multi-commodity effort and proactive

industry engagement.

2.  Identify state(s) in which to advance and adopt effective recycling policies.

3.  Develop stakeholder-specific positions to support unified message and state-specific advocacy strategy aimed at overcoming barriers to policy adoption.

4.  Develop advocacy campaign tool kit containing draft policy language, business case information and tips for policy adoption, implementation and enforcement.

5.  Execute collective and alligned independent efforts to achieve success.

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For More Information…

§  Carton Council Policy Report on CartonOpportunities.org

Betsy  Dorn  bdorn@reclaystewardedge.com  

561-­‐337-­‐5790