Recycling, Reducing, and Designing for the Environment

Packaging waste handling in the European Union is drastically different than in the U.S. What is amusing politically is that while many U.S. politicians who also vote against most environmental initiatives pride themselves on "less" government. I argue that in most EU nations their waste handling system is less government because it takes the financial burden of collection off of the municipalities and onto the producers. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept and policy tool which began a the German 1991 ordinance. It is being experimented, in a mostly watered down form, with by some U.S. states for products such as cathod ray tubes. EPR has taken hold in the EU not only concerning packaging waste, but also with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. Read more about this important policy tool for recycling, and reducting waste.