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Select Board endorses paint stewardship legislation after advocate—s presentation
Summary
After a presentation from resident advocate Tom Erwin on Extended Producer Responsibility (paint stewardship), the Select Board voted 4-0 to adopt a resolution endorsing pending state paint stewardship legislation, citing expected resident convenience and municipal cost savings for hazardous-waste collection.
Tom Erwin, an advocate for paint stewardship and a resident of Dalton who addressed the board, asked the Select Board to endorse pending Massachusetts paint stewardship legislation that would require a small per-gallon fee at point of sale and establish retail take-back for unwanted paint.
Erwin described the program as voluntary for retailers and explained the anticipated consumer fee would be between $0.75 and $1.25 per gallon in New England; he said collected latex paints are recycled and oil-based paints are incinerated and processed into concrete ash. "This program is voluntary and retailers freely come and go from the program as suits those business," Erwin said. He also cited statewide endorsements and an EPR Commission recommendation as indicators of support.
Board members voiced support, noting the convenience for residents who miss annual household hazardous-waste days and the potential to cut municipal hazardous-waste costs. Select Member (unnamed) moved to execute a resolution in support of paint stewardship legislation; the motion carried 4-0.
Next steps: The board will sign a town-letterhead resolution of support and staff will assist Erwin with any materials he needs for follow-up outreach to state legislators.
