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Product Stewardship <br />What is product stewardship? <br />Product Stewardship is a strategy through which manufacturers and others along <br />the product chain share in the financial and physical responsibility for collecting and <br />managing products in an environmentally sound manner at the end of their useful <br />lives. <br />Why is product stewardship important? <br />Nearly 75% of today's waste is manufactured goods and packaging. Products and <br />packaging may contain hazardous materials, and some can be expensive to <br />manage as waste. Counties and cities in Minnesota are responsible for assuring that <br />waste is managed properly, and this can cost a lot of money. <br />What is a product stewardship framework? <br />A framework is a comprehensive approach to product stewardship that emphasizes <br />flexibility but offers the opportunity to move past the current product-by-product <br />approach. A framework seeks to: <br />• Create a successful approach to address environmental impacts of products; <br />• Create a common set of expectations for product stewardship efforts; <br />• Create consistency in identifying and evaluating potential products; and <br />• Promote high quality product stewardship programs, whether mandated or <br />voluntary. <br />How much is spent on managing waste? <br />How waste is handled in Minnesota is complex and expensive. The MPCA estimates <br />that Minnesota residents and businesses spend $1 billion each year to manage <br />waste. These costs include collection, transportation, processing and disposal of <br />products, but don't include costs for some problem materials or hazardous wastes. <br />Most of the money goes to private firms that handle the waste. Public dollars are <br />spent mostly on household hazardous waste management, recycling, composting, <br />and clean-up of old landfills. <br />