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Product Stewardship

Product stewardship is the act of minimizing health, safety, environmental and social impacts, and maximizing economic benefits of a product and its packaging throughout all of its life-cycle stages. CSWD believes a management system that shares responsibility among consumers, government agencies and product manufacturers is the best way to reduce the impacts of products and their packaging at the end of their lives.

Product stewardship programs may be either voluntary or mandatory. Laws mandating that manufacturers take back their products for recycling are called extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws. They are one type of product stewardship that CSWD has been instrumental in promoting and enacting.

Why CSWD advocates for product stewardship

  • It reduces the cost to taxpayers of recycling or disposing of products.
  • It increases the recycling rate by creating convenient collection locations for consumers when they are finished with a product.
  • It conserves resources by encouraging reuse and recycling through good product design.
  • It reduces the toxicity of materials used in manufacturing.

CSWD is a founding member of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council, formed in 2008. For more information about the VTPSC, contact Jennifer Holliday, CSWD’s Director of Public Policy and Communications, via the form on our Contact Us page.

Vermont’ EPR laws and programs

Batteries: Act 139 establishes a product stewardship program for primary (single use) batteries. Effective 2016.

Architectural Paint: Act 58 establishes a paint stewardship program for recycling and responsible disposal of interior and exterior architectural coatings. Effective 2013.

Mercury Lamps: Act 36 established a program under which manufacturers are required to collect and recycle mercury-containing bulbs. Effective 2011. To learn more about safe handling and collection options, visit the CSWD Fluorescent Bulbs page.

Electronic waste: Act 79, effective 2011, established a program for convenient and low- or no-cost recycling of televisions, computers, and a variety of other electronics. For more information visit the Vermont e-cycles page.

Mercury Thermostats: Act 149 established a program under which manufacturers are required to collect out-of-service mercury-containing thermostats. Effective 2008.

Automobile Switches: Act 117, effective 2006.

Lead-acid batteries: Effective 1993.

Certain Dry-Cell Batteries: Effective 1991.

For more information

The Product Stewardship Institute

Vermont Product Stewardship Council

Vermont Agency of Natural Resource Product Stewardship