1. Every day we each usehundreds of products Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

2. Many of these products – and their packaging – impact the environment and health in unintended ways Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

3. Many goods are designed to be obsolete in just a few years. there is no cost to business to continue to throw away more and more material there are no incentives to create products that last longer or are more easily recycled Under the current system there is a lack of incentive to design better products Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

4. For one thing, this results in a lot of stuff… …each American throws away about 1,600 pounds of trash every year, much of it products and packaging! Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

5. When we dispose of materials, instead of recycling them, we need to extract more virgin resources to make new products…which consumes energy and can cause other environmental impacts. Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

6. Some products contain toxic substances that can be released to the environment in the waste stream… Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

7. Some products are associated with other unintended impacts…such as drug abuse or hazards to workers… . Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

8. Still other products may pose operational challenges in the waste stream. Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

9. Today, we look to local governments to manage this increasingly complex waste stream… Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

10. This costs money! In 2009, Nebraska spent an estimated $2 million tax dollars to manage household hazardous waste… …and they weren’t able to collect all the problematic product & packaging waste that was out there. Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

11. Government and taxpayers can’t solve this problem alone… Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

12. The Solution Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

13. Where do we go from here? Product stewardship directs all those involved in the life cycle of a product to take responsibility for the impacts to human health and the natural environment that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of the product. Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

14. While everyone has a role to play, Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

15. product stewardship asks those who, Make & Sell Design the products to take the greatest responsibility Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

16. This responsibility extends beyond the point of sale, Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

17. When manufacturers set up and pay for collection programs, this is called “extended producer responsibility” Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

19. shifts the burden of collecting products off of local governments, and

20. provides an incentive for manufacturers to design products that are easier to recycle (or have fewer impacts in the first place)Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

21. “EPR” is already happening in Nebraska, through several voluntary initiatives: Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

22. Some states are passing laws to require manufacturers to collect their products As of October 2010, there are more than 60 state laws mandating EPR Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

24. We can maximize the use of the voluntary EPR programs that exist today

25. Consumers and government agencies can choose to purchase greener products

26. Businesses can develop and promote greener productsPrepared by the Product Stewardship Institute

27. Click below to learn about more about to learn more about things that we can alldo to promoteproduct stewardship Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute