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Swedish tax breaks on repairs

In 2016, as part of efforts to create jobs and reduce carbon emissions, Sweden passed "tax breaks on repairs to everything from bicycles to washing machines so it will no longer make sense to throw out old or broken items and buy new ones," according to an article in The Guardian.

Right to repair, fair repair, and patent laws

The necessity of "Right to Repair" laws is explored in a March 2017 article in Wired by Kyle Wiens, the co-founder and CEO of iFixit, "an online repair community and parts retailer renowned for its open source repair manuals and product teardowns."

The Producer Pays - Wharton School article

An April 2017 article in the Wharton School's online business journal, The Producer Pays, covered extended producer responsibility's (EPR) history and success, in and outside the U.S.

The concept of EPR is that companies that make consumer goods are responsible for managing their products and packaging at their end of life, turning what was formerly waste "into the 'food' for industry and the next generation of products."

LightRecycle Washington awarded Green Globe

LightRecycle WA Green Globe Award 2017LightRecycle Washington, the statewide product stewardship program for mercury-containing lights, received a 2017 King County Green Globe award as a Leader in

CalRecycle rejects CARE carpet stewardship plan, again

After CalRecycle rejected the carpet industry's stewardship plan in December 2016, Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) submitted a revised plan in February 2017, which was considered at an

Vermont fined Walgreens for battery stewardship violation

"To sell batteries in Vermont, battery manufacturers have to register a stewardship plan with the State outlining how they will contribute to offering free consumer recycling options in Vermont. Walgreens' brand never registered a plan...

Safe drug take back

In February, Rockland County, NY became the first East Coast municipality to require pharmaceutical manufacturers to fund and manage a safe disposal program for unwanted medications.

Chemicals of concern in consumer products

CVS announced in April 2017 "the removal of parabens, phthalates and the most prevalent formaldehyde donors across nearly 600" store brand beauty and personal care products.

Assessing the ROI of EPR

Scott Cassel of the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and Resa Dimino of RRS wrote in the April 2017 issue of Resource Recycling on the success of Connecticut's four extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. They concluded that "not all EPR laws are equal, and not all are implemented and enforced equally.

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