SACRAMENTO – First District Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) on Friday introduced AB 2139, the California Product Stewardship Act, which requires manufacturers of hazardous products to create products that are less toxic and easier to recycle.

“Every time we use recycled materials to create a product, we save energy and reduce pollution from landfills,” said Chesbro, who chairs the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. “The result is a reduction in global warming and an increase in jobs in green industries.”

The California Product Stewardship Act would require manufacturers of hazardous products to create products that are less toxic, more durable and easier to recycle when they enter the waste stream.

AB 2139 proposes an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Framework, which would establish one law to address a wide range of toxic products, including medical waste such as hypodermic needles, household pesticides, small propane tanks and other hazardous waste found around the home.

These wastes end up in California landfills and pose a significant threat to our environment.

“Consumers deserve convenient, affordable options for disposing of products and leftover pesticides,” said Kevin Hendrick, director of the Del Norte County Solid Waste Management Authority and board member of the California Product Stewardship Council. “Green design and a green economy must start with the businesses that produce, and profit from, these products.”

Establishing an EPR Framework provides producers the flexibility to customize individual product stewardship plans and implement the most effective and cost-efficient approach for any particular product or product category.

Furthermore, it encourages green design and reductions in disposal, toxic releases and emissions of climate change gases in order to improve human health and our environment.

“The EPR Framework is a strategy to share responsibility among those who make, sell, use and dispose of products, while placing the primary responsibility on producers to reduce a product’s lifecycle impacts,” Chesbro said. “Those who benefit from a product should share in the costs associated with the environmental impacts of the product. By having producers share in the costs of managing product discards, EPR harnesses the power of the free market to drive environmental improvement. This bill will move California toward a more sustainable environment and economy. We can reduce greenhouse gases and government spending while providing the framework to develop new green industries.”