Agenda - Council - 11/25/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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- 10 - 0 OFFICE PAPER REDUCTION Office paper reduction, establishing policies that shrink office paper consumption, can be implemented by the public and private sectors to reduce solid waste. These policies could include increased use of microfiche and magnetic media (computer discs and tapes), and reducing use of carbon paper, computer printout paper, letter paper, machine copy and business forms. It is estimated by the MPCA that office paper reduction could reduce paper consumption by 4.5 percent annually (MPCA, 1979). But, since only 52 to 53 percent of all consumer office paper is discarded, the potential reduction of solid waste amounts to only 0.7 percent of the solid waste stream. PRODUCT CHARGE Today's prices for products generally do not reflect the costs imposed on society for disposal of solid waste. The goal of prod- uct charges is to incorporate those costs into the cost of the product. The charge could take three forms: a unit charge, a weight charge or a combination of both. The unit charge has the least administrative burden, while the combination would have the greatest reduction impact, product charges have appeal in that they use the market to encourage solid waste reduction, and provide funds to defray the solid waste management costs imposed by products. Three studies commissioned by EPA indicate that general conserva- tion through the use of product charges could reduce waste by two to three percent (Bingham, 1974; Miedema, 1976; Miedema, in prep- aration). For purposes of this report, a maximum waste reduction potential of 2.6 percent was assumed. Product charges could potentially solve financial problems encoun- tered by local government for solid waste collection and disposal and at the same time provide a revenue source for other recovery programs. However, it is doubtful whether a product charge could be applied on a state level because of potential conflict with interstate commerce. Federal legislation would provide for more efficient and consistent implemntation of product charges. WASTE CHARGE A waste charge is a fee levied on each ton or cubic yard of waste being disposed. The fee would be collected at landfills or pro- cessing facilities as a part of the disposal fee. Although there is little literature available about the impacts of waste charges, it is expected that such a charge would be less effective than a national product charge in curbing waste. It is estimated that a waste charge would reduce waste by less than two percent. Hence, a waste charge may be more effective as a funding mechanism rather than as a waste reduction technique.