Narrative of Resolution:
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Support of Product Stewardship and Urging the Establishment of a Stewardship Program for Packaging and Printed Paper
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RESOLUTION INTRODUCED BY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IN SUPPORT OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP AND URGING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM FOR PACKAGING AND PRINTED PAPER
WHEREAS, more than 18 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated each year in New York State; and
WHEREAS, 70 percent of MSW is made up of discarded products and packaging; and
WHEREAS, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the waste sector represent about
12 percent of statewide emissions; and
WHEREAS, the most significant GHG emissions impact during the lifecycle of products and packaging result not from disposal but from the production of products
and packaging that eventually become waste; and
WHEREAS, the Sullivan County Legislature wishes to express support for broad Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or product stewardship requirements to cover the end-of-life management of post-consumer products and that EPR should be a priority for addressing emissions from the waste sector; and
WHEREAS, Governor Kathy Hochul introduced the Waste Reduction and Recycling
Infrastructure Act as part of her Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Executive Budget proposal to
create an EPR program for packaging and paper products; and
WHEREAS, bills to create an EPR program for packaging and paper products have
also been introduced by Senator Peter Harkham (S.4246) and by Senator Rachel May
and Assembly member Steve Englebright (S.9493/A.10185); and
WHEREAS, these EPR programs would significantly reduce waste and single-use plastic packaging and would require producers to take responsibility for the end-of-life
management of their own packaging and invest in modernizing the operations at local
recycling facilities; and
WHEREAS, S.9493/A.10185 and S.4246 would also prohibit certain toxic and
dangerous chemicals in packaging, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS), ortho-phthalates, bisphenols, halogenated flame retardants, such heavy metals
4 as lead, cadmium and mercury, and other chemicals posing a threat to human health
and safety and to the environment; and
WHEREAS, not only would such an EPR program provide relief to local governments,
but it would also reduce GHG emissions from the production and disposal of consumer
goods by incentivizing producers to reduce waste and design products that are more
sustainable.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Sullivan County Legislature supports EPR as a policy tool to make producers legally and financially responsible for mitigating the environmental impacts of their products and packaging; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Sullivan County Legislature urges the Governor and Legislature to enact an EPR program for packaging and printed paper to reduce waste by at least 20 percent within five years and 50 percent within 10 years and shift the burden of managing the ever-evolving packaging waste stream away from taxpayers and local governments and onto producers and manufacturers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Sullivan County Legislature supports an EPR program that prohibits toxic and dangerous chemicals in packaging, including those chemicals listed in bills S.9493/A.10185 and S.4246, to protect public health and safety and avoid costs associated with their production, transport, use, and disposal, including public health costs, costs of environmental remediation, and costs of responding to such accidents as the recent derailment in East Palestine, Ohio of a train carrying vinyl chloride; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Sullivan County Legislature urges local government representation on the advisory council created to implement and oversee the program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NYSAC urges the Governor and Legislature to also
create an EPR framework to enable the State to create stewardship requirements for
additional products with significant GHG impacts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Sullivan County shall forward copies of this resolution to Governor Kathy Hochul, Sullivan County representatives of the New York State Legislature, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos, and all others deemed necessary and proper.
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