Jim Quinn, Hazardous Waste Program Manager, Metro, Portland, OR

Beginning in the 1980s local governments around the country started up collection programs for household hazardous waste (HHW). Many of these programs provide excellent service and do a valiant job of trying to collect and manage the HHW that their constituents generate. Then, in the 1990s, the model of producer responsibility began to be applied to HHW products-the idea that the industry that makes and distributes a hazardous product should take financial or operational responsibility for collecting and managing their product at the end of its life.

Since then, conflicting ideas about how producer responsibility programs should be operated have got in the way on many fronts. This is leading some to consider the advanced disposal (ADF) fee model, in which government collects fees on products and also sets up and operates the collection and management program.

This webinar provides an overview of the three approaches to HHW management-local government responsibility, producer responsibility, and ADFs-and consider the pros and cons of each.