The California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) hosted their thirteenth annual Legislative Excellence Awards reception in honor of legislators and legislative staff who champion product stewardship and responsibility in the current legislative session. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) asks producers to manage their products in a sustainable and more responsible manner, including end of life oversight. The ceremony at Lucid Winery awarded leaders for steering systematic change in solid waste and recycling systems. By holding producers accountable for the products they produce, elected California officials are paving the way for EPR across the nation.
This year’s elected officials include: Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego), Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), and Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz). Also honored were legislative staff including Charles Loudon, Jessica Matlock, and Michelle Reyes. These dedicated legislative staffers empower their elected officials and organizations like CPSC to coordinate complex and impactful legislation. CPSC proudly recognizes the awardees this year, a banner session for progress on the product stewardship frontlines.
CPSC’s sponsored bills in 2023-2024 include AB-2 (Ward): Recycling: Solar Photovoltaic Modules from 2023, SB-707 (Newman): Responsible Textile Recovery Act from 2023, and SB-560 (Laird): Solid Waste: Gas Cylinders: Stewardship Program. “We thank our legislators who fearlessly took on three of the most problematic waste streams threatening California’s recycling systems: textiles, solar panels, and the responsible disposal of compressed gas cylinders,” said Doug Kobold, CPSC Executive Director. He continued, “after years of building up to the introduction of these bills, EPR is, again, the most effective solution for solar panel end of life management, responsible textile recovery, and sustainable management of compressed gas cylinders that threaten our waste management infrastructure and financially burden our local communities.”
CPSC strongly believes that by implementing impactful legislation, we create a permanent system for the products that manufacturers put on the market. Starting at the local and state levels, we work together to create systemic change. EPR legislation creates material recovery programs that address financial, social, and environmental justices which unfairly impact vulnerable communities.