Showing papers on "Extended producer responsibility published in 2004"

Re-defining waste, the concept of ownership and the role of waste management

Abstract: In an attempt to construct a new agenda for waste management, this paper explores the complex relationship between definitions of waste and their subsequent impact on its ownership and management. A range of internationally accepted definitions for waste are analysed and it is concluded that they are inadequate in scope in an attempt to describe waste. The philosophical ramifications inherent in such definitions mean that they are not capable of constructing a system that by its very nature results in a sustainable waste management system. This paper explores the concept of waste and a new waste taxonomy is proposed, based on the reason for waste creation, this has profound implications for ownership which in itself often dictates which waste management options are preferentially adopted by a given community. The role of legislation in producing monitoring systems for the transfer of ownership as well as abandonment of ownership is analysed. The new agenda for waste management focuses upon the development of more appropriate, sustainable definitions so that what is now commonly perceived as being waste will in fact be increasingly seen as resource-rich, ‘non-waste’. To avoid obstacles to resource conservation due to materials being considered waste, a definition for non-waste is introduced. Finally, a new definition for waste management is proposed, one that has profound implications for the introduction of a more sustainable waste practice.

Addressing the Economics of Waste

Abstract: Introduction; Trends in Waste Generation and Waste Policies; Economic Analysis of Solid Waste Management Policies; The Development and Implementation of a Landfill Tax in the UK; Waste Tax in Norway; Costs and benefits of alternative treatments of PVC waste in Denmark; Efficient Targeting of Waste Policies in the Product Chain; Targeting Lead in Solid Waste; Changing Product Characteristics to Reduce Waste Generation; Issues for further work - Conclusions

Conditions and constraints for waste management : collection, characterisation and producer responsibility in Sweden

Abstract: Waste management has changed from being mainly a question of transporting out of sight to being an issue entwined in all parts of society, from product planning to the private domestic sphere. This has imposed new conditions and constraints for waste management, the description of which is the objective of this thesis. The overall policy in Sweden is that all waste should be treated according to its characteristics and reincorporated into societal material flows. The main aim is to reduce the quantities of household waste generated and the amounts sent to landfill. To give waste management a broader perspective and to establish a waste hierarchy, producer responsibility legislation was introduced in Sweden in 1994. According to this, paper/newsprint and packaging waste have to be sorted at source and collected separately. Source separation is today an established part of legislation and public thinking and is probably here to stay so waste management providers must adapt to this situation. In order to obtain high participation rates in source separation programmes, they have to be designed so as to decrease any barriers to participation. The design of collection systems has many aspects since they must be both technically feasible and accepted and understood by the public. Recurring and adequate information to households are is very important for the function of the collection system, but both these and other design parameters should be adapted to local conditions. The differences in the systems used in Sweden today do not lie mainly in technical features but rather in how, why, by and for whom they were developed. To plan waste management, the characteristics of the waste must be known, due to temporal and regional variations these are best evaluated through waste component analysis. The aim of such analysis determines the level on which it should be conducted: national, regional or household level. When post-collection sampling is possible at a treatment plant, the procedure can be made more efficient and less resource-demanding. The methods for waste component analysis presented in this thesis can be a useful tool in future waste management planning.

Changing Product Characteristics to Reduce Waste Generation

Abstract: Changing Product Characteristics to Reduce Waste Generation: Introduction; Product characteristics and waste production - Facts and statistics; Economic properties of innovation and implications for waste policies; Extended Producer Responsibility and product innovation; Waste policy instruments and product innovation; Conclusion...

Global mandate, national policies, and local responses: scale conflicts in China's management of imported e-waste

Abstract: This paper explains the problems of China's environmental regulations and programs regarding e-waste, with an emphasis on the multiscalar processes of globalization. Such problems are the consequence of diverse global policy mandates governing the transnational flows of e-waste and conflicting responses of the key actors in China at the national and local levels. Based on field studies carried out in China from 2000 to 2003, this study reveals the transplanting of "best-practice" of environmental policies from developed countries to China. We maintain that it is the conflicting views at different geographic scales regarding the global flows of e-waste and its localization in coastal China that have increased the complexity and difficulty in achieving a more effective regulatory system for a better environment. The conclusion recommends that the adoption of the extended producer responsibility principle in China should be a multiscalar process with three key environmental concerns - the green consumption of electronics products, environmentally sound technology innovation of the domestic electronics products, and the upgrading of the recycling industry in China.

Design for End-of-Life: Repair, Recondition, Remanufacture or Recycle?

Abstract: Between 1980 and 1997, municipal waste in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries increased by around 40%. The European Union has responded by introducing legislation on extended producer responsibility (EPR). This paper further explains the context of this new legislation and describes, compares and then contrasts the four alternative strategies to reducing end-of-life waste: namely repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing or recycling. It also introduces a more robust definition of remanufacturing, validated by earlier research, which differentiates it from repair and reconditioning. From a consideration of the different factors involved, it concludes that remanufacturing may often be a strong strategy. This is based on the fact that it preserves both the embodied energy of virgin production (thus reducing the environmental impact) and the intrinsic “value adding” process of the producer (thus increasing the manufacturer’s profitability). As a result, this new environmental policy is likely to lead to significant increases in remanufacturing as an end-of-life strategy in the European Union. However, effective end-of life strategies are dictated by product characteristics and therefore vary from product to product (Rose et al, 1998). Thus further research is required to compare and contrast the effectiveness of remanufacturing and alternative end-of-life strategy for particular product types.© 2004 ASME

Unwrapping the Discourse: Product Stewardship and Sustainability in the Australian Packaging Industry

Abstract: The packaging industry has been under pressure for more than 20 years to reduce the environmental impacts of its products. Despite significant investments in litter reduction and kerbside recycling programs over that period, packaging has maintained its high profile in the public discourse on environmental issues. Specific concerns about packaging are rarely articulated beyond those of waste and litter, but seem to step from deeper unease within elements of the community about the impacts of industrial development on the environment. The term A��product stewardship started to be widely used in the late 1990s when certain stakeholder groups began to promote the view that companies should be responsible for products throughout their life cycle, including at end-of-life, although there are differences of opinion about whether this responsibility should be total or shared with other parts of the supply chain. Today the discourse is increasingly about sustainability and what this means for the packaging industry. However, both sustainability and product stewardship are contested terms that have different meanings to different groups and individuals in the community. This paper provides an introduction to the discourse on packaging and the environment, product stewardship and sustainability, and presents the results of a stakeholder survey undertaken in Australia in 2003. The purpose of the survey was to document the views of key stakeholders involved in shaping the discourse on the environmental impacts and management of packaging. The survey revealed many areas of agreement, for example on the definition of product stewardship as a form of shared responsibility between organisations within the packaging supply chain. This view has clearly shaped, and been shaped by, negotiations between government and industry to develop the (Australian) National Packaging Covenant.

Performance analysis of alternative designs for a vehicle disassembly system using simulation modeling

Abstract: Recently some regulations such as EPR (Extended Producer Responsibilities) have forced companies to develop an interest in recycling systems. In particular, these regulations are focused on the reuse of product materials to resolve environmental disruption or waste disposal. Unfortunately, a large amount of research has been conducted only in the field of mass production, rather than in the automotive disassembly systems that are more likely to have significant opportunities for reuse and recycling. Therefore, it has become necessary to conduct analytic research on systems with the capacity to deal with the annually increasing number of vehicles for disassembly. In this paper, we evaluate four existing vehicle disassembly systems and propose a new and improved alternative disassembly system. We also conduct performance analysis for each system using simulation modeling. Furthermore, we propose 4 alternatives and test their efficiencies in order to improve their performances.

Toward A Zero Waste Society In Taiwan

Abstract: Taiwan, an island with dense population but limited resources, bears a heavy environmental burden. Although industries in Taiwan have been booming for decades, the escalation of waste generation has never ceased and will profoundly how to use resources wisely, to achieve a sustainable society, has become an ever more serious issue that is concerning both the government and the people of Taiwan. As the natural resources are waning and the costs of garbage disposal is constantly rising over time, waste disposal policies have shifted from traditional disposal methods, such as sanitary landfills and waste incineration, to new methods, such as minimization at the source, sorting, separation of dry and wet garbage, pre-treatment, and transferring of garbage from remote areas. Moreover, with the policies of front-end prevention (restricting the use of plastic shopping bags and plastic disposable dishes) and the back-end per-bag trash collection fee, households are rewarded to reduce the amount of garbage. Communities are also encouraged to set up garbage self-disposal systems or other flexible and diversified methods, which are aiming to ease the pressure on the end-of-pipe treatment and induce recycling and reuse of materials. With the principle of “extended producer responsibility,” businesses and institutions are required to work on the “green design” and “life cycle analysis,” and to set up an “environment management system” to meet the future needs of environmental protection from international markets. The government will also assist the Center for the Exchange of Industrial Waste Information and the promotion of environmental management systems, and subsidize the R&D of the new environmental technologies. All of these measures will be taken to help businesses establish corporate images and thereby increase their competitiveness in the international markets. Although the adoption and the implementation of the strategies and policies of “zero waste” will encounter certain obstacles, we should still actively strive to establish concrete policies and objectives for campaigns, strict law enforcement and the encouragement of innovation and trials. What we will need to achieve this will be: understanding and support of the general public, the cooperation of private sectors, as well as the open-mindedness of the public sectors. Our natural resources are so scarce and precious that we must work in tandem with the global trend to achieve a “zero waste” world. Waste Management and the Environment II, V. Popov, H. Itoh, C.A. Brebbia & S. Kungolos (Editors) © 2004 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-738-8 affect the lifestyles and the living standards for generations to come. Therefore,

Reducing end-of-life waste: repair, recondition, remanufacture or recycle?

Abstract: Between 1980 and 1997, municipal waste in OECD countries increased by around 40%. This paper outlines the very real negative effects of this increase and then introduces the two main European Union policies that have been established to address this problem: a landfill directive and legislation on extended producer responsibility (E P R). The paper then describes and compares the four alternative strategies to reducing end-of-life waste within the context of extended producer responsibility: namely repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing or recycling. It also introduces a more robust definition of remanufacturing, validated by earlier research, which differentiates it from repair and reconditioning. From a consideration of the different factors involved, it concludes that remanufacturing may well be the best strategy. This is because it enables the embodied energy of virgin production to be maintained, preserves the intrinsic 'added value' of the product for the manufacturer and enables the resultant products to be sold 'as new' with updated features if necessary.

I.2 – Solid waste origins: sources, trends, quality, quantity

Abstract: Effective waste management in the local, regional, and global scale, which has the protection of human health and the environment as an essential and ultimate objective, requires reliable and complete statistical data on waste sources, amounts generated, qualitative and quantitative structure, properties determining their long-term environmental behavior, and changes in waste streams as a function of time. Demographic changes evidenced by the rapid growth of population and accelerated industrial development in the developing countries, along with simultaneous proliferation of new technologies, materials, and chemicals in the developed countries that are transmitted by international companies to the developing regions, have contributed to an increase in both the amount and variety of solid wastes all over the world. Reliable statistical data on the sources and amounts of waste generation, the structure of solid waste streams, and their movement and management is, thus, a basic prerequisite for the optimization of waste management strategies in a national and global scale. They are of particular importance for setting priorities in waste management practice and for providing an adequate regulatory framework and enforcement procedures for its implementation. Regular community statistics creates the basis for monitoring the implementation of waste policy in compliance with the principles of the maximization of waste recovery and safe disposal, as well as for assessing compliance with the principle of waste prevention.

Extended Producer Responsibility Stimulating Technological Changes and Innovation: Case Study in the Norwegian Electrical and Electronic Industry

Abstract: Technology plays an essential role in all industrial activities. When different technologies bring comfort and convenience to our lives, the rapid material consumption also results in various forms of environmental deterioration. Gradually, it is realized that pushing technological development in an environmentally-friendly direction is an important task, and public policy is one of the major driving forces.Among various types of environmental policies, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a relatively new and market-oriented approach. OECD (2001) defines it as “an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility, physical and/or financial, for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle”. When resources are drawn from the upstream actors, i.e. the producers, to the downstream waste management activities, there exists potential for innovation to occur at both sides. The producers may make product changes in order to reduce their cost, and the waste managers receive more support, either financial subsidies or an enlarged market for example, to have their job done.In this paper, we aim to look for empirical evidence regarding how EPR stimulates technological changes. In Norway, some EPR policy instruments have come into force for the electrical and electronic (EE) industry since 1999: the EE Regulation and the EE Covenant. To fulfill their obligations accordingly, the Norwegian producers have collectively set up a national return system for their end-of-life products and pay a fee when introducing new products in the market to producer responsibility organizations (PROs), who then take over the physical responsibility to coordinate the collection and treatment of scrapped EE products. At the moment, there are three major PROs in the Norwegian EE industry.At the EU level, two directives regarding EE products were promulgated in October 2002: the Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (the WEEE Directive) and the Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (the RoHS Directive). The former requires producers to take back and recycle their waste, while the latter basically demands that new EE products should not contain six hazardous substances.The above-mentioned domestic and international policy instruments, together with some others, bind on the Norwegian EE industry. It is then of our research interest to find out whether these EPR instruments have driven technological change among actors in the sector. A web-based survey entitled “Green” technological changes in the Norwegian EE sector was conducted. 71% answered “yes” when asked whether there have been technological changes in the products or processes during the last 10 years to deal with environmental problems. Based on those who answered yes, the driving forces were identified as: “environmental regulations in EU” (68%), “environmental awareness and commitment in the organization” (59%), “environmental regulations in Norway” (55%), and “market demand” (50%). In spite of the survey results, interviews with staff from PROs and industry associations revealed that the upstream actors in the Norwegian EE industry are not yet very active in carrying out environmentally-friendly product changes. Reasons to this can be that, first, Norway is only a small market with no big producers, and second, there is no clear mechanism to stimulate “green products” in the pricing structure of the collective scheme. However, the implementation of the RoHS Directive drew rather high attention and participation from the producers to remove focal substances from their products.Though the Norwegian national EPR scheme does not bring out much of the upstream actors, the resources that are collected and flow into waste management motivate the downstream actors. To date, several EE waste treatment plants can be found national-wide. They are preoccupied to find technological solutions to process tricky EE products and increase their process efficiency.Three company cases were selected to be closely examined, in order to see the mechanism of policy influence. In Osram AS, lead was removed from their production of incandescent lamps, and the RoHS Directive was the main cause. Research activities in the mother company even started some years before the directive was finally promulgated. WEEE Recycling AS put together “the most modern recycling plant in the world” for EE waste, and Elektronikkgjenvinning AS possessed “the world’s first facility capable of processing SF6” from some sealed-forlife electrical switch gears. For these process changes, the Norwegian EPR regulations have everything to say.

Preliminary exploring current condition and recycling system of electronic waste

Abstract: With the fast development of electronic industry and information technology,the problem of electronic waste has been becoming one of the stringent problems.With the electronic waste transfer from abroad and the fast development of electronic products production,China will become the biggest electronic waste treating center.Current condition of electronic waste and its treating was introduced in the paper.Latent environmental pollution and recovery of electronic waste were analyzed.Improving electronic waste treating industry to circular economy was analyzed.Relevant policy,method and recycling system were discussed.

II.1 - Regulatory frameworks as an instrument of waste management strategies

Abstract: National, regional, and global waste management strategies should be based on the harmonized, integrated, and effective regulatory and legislative framework that addresses environmental safety and public health as a first priority and considers all the alternatives of waste stream minimization There are three major prerequisites to ensure the implementation of legislation: (1) an effective enforcement procedure consisting of a sound, well-balanced system of charges, penalties, and incentives; (2) thorough legal liability of producer or holder for waste management in an environmentally safe way; and (3) precise instruments of the verification and effective audit of waste management practice, followed by the execution of a law in a way that makes any attempts of evading or desisting from juridical obligations highly unprofitable Artificial methods of reducing waste streams by just changing definitions are particularly popular in countries with a weak, unbalanced economy and a traditional low priority given to the control of waste disposal practices This approach is caused by a lack of recognition by governmental decision-makers and legislative bodies of the harm that inadequate management could cause to the human health and environment

Practical steps for a transition from "historical" to "future" waste systems Individual producer responsibility for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Abstract: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive of the European Commission places the responsibility on producers to finance collection and treatment of waste deposited at collection facilities after 13 August 2005, on a collective or individual basis. For "historic" waste, put on the market before this date, producers are responsible for a proportion of their respective share of the market by type of equipment. For products put on the market after 13 August 2005, termed "future" waste, producers should finance operations related to waste from his own products. Given the shortage of discussion in literature around practical implementation of individual responsibility, the research identifies practical steps that are needed for producers to address WEEE from private households on an individual, rather than a collective basis. Producers would like to control end-of-life costs; therefore, present emphasis is on setting up a competitive system in Member States. An issue that should be addressed is the fact that national schemes prevent individual producers free access to waste, due to established national networks. To address this, developments in some Member States show a national clearinghouse or register is to be formed, allowing producers to set-up multiple competing consortia. Part of the task of the clearinghouse is to apply a scheduled allocation method for pick-ups on a geographical basis, and/or reconcile recycling activities performed by individual producers. Establishing this competitive system with a fair means of dividing up obligations is the aim of producers. It is also more equitable for obligations to eventually be determined by a producer's actual return share rather than present market share, due to product longevity or market saturation of the products. Stimulating environmentally conscious design remains challenging in unsorted waste, as all producers share any financial benefits. Direct customer arrangements are acknowledged to provide opportunities to gain financial feedback, however, must be balanced by the cost-effectiveness of the activity.

Extended Producer Responsibility Policy in OECD Member Countries and its Effect on Market Structure and Firm Conduct

Abstract: Extended producer responsibility (EPR) as a regulatory policy instrument, in which a producer's responsibility for a produce is extended to the post-consumer stage of a produce's life cycle, is first implemented in OECD member countries. This paper illustrates how enterprises cope with EPR policy through typical cases. On the basis of that, EPR policy's effect under public and private products taking-back system on market structure and firm conduct is analyzed respectively according to the theory of industrial organization. The main conclusions are: (1) the public products taking-back system unravels a problem that small and medium sized enterprises exit from market for being hard to bear the product taking-back responsibility independently, thus keeping market contestable, but the taking-back link of this system is hard to meet the requirements of both environmental regulation and economic efficiency simultaneously; and (2) the prerequisite for private products taking-back system is a vertical integration enterprise, whose scope of business includes manufacture, sale and taking-back, as increases the barriers to entry and monopolistic degree of the market.

Complying with extended producer responsibility requirements: business impacts, tools and strategies [electronic products]

Abstract: As electronic product take-back requirements and materials restrictions spread throughout the EU, Asia and North America, multi-national companies must adapt by improving due diligence programs and incorporating compliance steps into supply chain management systems. This paper first reviews the regulatory background of requirements that manufacturers and importers of electronic goods are (and will be) required to meet. Secondly, examples of how these extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements are impacting businesses are provided. Finally, the paper introduces tools and management strategies that are available to minimize costs of compliance.

Operation models and operation management: a framework for the de-manufacturing system

Abstract: Increasingly, manufacturers are being encouraged to take more responsibility for their product at the end-of-life (EOL). New legislation in many countries with growing public environmental concerns drives organizations to focus on researches and applications of the EOL de-manufacturing system. This paper intends to present a framework for construction and management of a de-manufacturing system from the extended producer responsibility (EPR). The requirements of operation and information management for EOL product handling were studied, and an information system under the framework to support the handling processes was proposed. It is a systematic approach to do with the problems in the demanufacturing system.