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Where Will All The Waste Go?: Utilizing Extended Producer Responsibility Framework Laws To Achieve Zero Waste, Anthony A. Austin

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

The United States has a waste problem. It represents only five percent of the world population, yet it generates twenty-five to thirty percent of the world’s waste. In 2008, the United States generated 389.5 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). As our economy and population continue to grow, our waste will continue to grow as well. The obvious dilemma is that all of this waste, the byproduct of our economic advances, creates significant adverse environmental and public health effects when landfilled or incinerated.

This Article explores the use of extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws to achieve the ultimate waste …