3030 W. 81st Avenue Westminster, CO 80031 877.292.1403 www.nahmma.

org

NAHMMA

Dedicated to Pollution Prevention and Reducing the Toxicity of Municipal Waste Streams

February 26, 2013

Honorable Chris Eaton State Senator 321 Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
Subject: Support for Product Stewardship for Paint, Carpet and Primary Batteries in Minnesota Honorable Members of the Minnesota State Legislature: The North American Hazardous Materials Management Association (NAHMMA) urges your support of S.F. 639, to create stewardship programs for paint, carpet and primary batteries in Minnesota. NAHMMA is a professional organization dedicated to pollution prevention and reducing the hazardous constituents entering municipal waste streams from households, small businesses, and other entities. We are a nonprofit membership organization that includes businesses, individuals, government officials, and nonprofit organizations from 34 U.S. states, Canada, and overseas. Our members are experts in handling moderate-risk wastes and hazardous materials from homes and businesses. NAHMMA strongly advocates establishing product stewardship programs such as the paint stewardship programs currently in place in Oregon, California and Connecticut as well as those being proposed in Washington. NAHMMA lauds the paint industry for assuming responsibility for the establishment of statewide paint collection programs across the United Statesincluding Oregons successful pilot program, Californias newly launched program, and upcoming efforts in Connecticut and Rhode Island and several other states. Proper management of paint and batteries is a growing concern to NAHMMA members, due to the potential health, safety, and environmental impacts of these waste streams. Oil-based paints are hazardous due to their toxicity and flammability. Latex paint and batteries contain chemicals that are harmful to humans, fish, and wildlife. As a liquid, paint is also a difficult-to-handle material, which does not belong in curbside garbage collection. Although NAHMMA focuses on waste streams that have a hazardous component, we support a product stewardship approach for all products. Management of waste carpet directly by manufacturers allows for the materials to be recaptured and used to manufacture new carpet. Carpet can be a resource rather than something that takes up landfill space.

3030 W. 81st Avenue Westminster, CO 80031 877.292.1403 www.nahmma.org

NAHMMA

Dedicated to Pollution Prevention and Reducing the Toxicity of Municipal Waste Streams

The management of paint and batteries is a substantial cost burden to our local governments that currently fund and operate collection programs in Minnesota. Local government programs struggle to keep up with the demand for collection and proper management services as more products are put into the market that contain hazardous materials. Involving manufacturers in end of life management of the products they create may motivate them to reduce the toxicity and increase the recyclability of the products they manufacture. Partnering with industry on these programs is a real step forward that will make safe paint and battery management more accessible to the public. NAHMMA supports the creation of statewide take-back programs for unwanted paint and batteries that are fully financed, ongoing, and well-promoted by paint and battery manufacturers. We believe that the proposed product stewardship legislation will provide Minnesota with an efficient, costeffective, and convenient program in the same vein as the successful Minnesota Electronics Recycling Act that dramatically increased the collection of unwanted household electronics in the state. We urge your support of S.F. 639 to establish an effective statewide system for paint, carpet and primary battery stewardship in Minnesota.

Sincerely,

Victoria Hodge, President North American Hazardous Materials Management Association