About the Event:
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), also known as Product Stewardship, is a strategy to place a shared responsibility for end-of-life product management on producers, and other entities involved in the product chain, instead of the general public; while encouraging product design changes that minimize negative impacts on human health and the environment at every stage of the product’s lifecycle. McKenna Morrigan will summarize the 2023 Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act which was proposed to establish a producer responsibility program that required consumer product producers to fund statewide residential recycling services for packaging and paper products. Justin Gast will discuss progress in implementing Oregon’s 2021 Recycling Modernization Act which authorized an EPR system to update recycling in Oregon; funded by producers and manufacturers of packaged items, paper products, and food service ware.
About the Speakers:
McKenna Morrigan, Seattle Public Utilities
McKenna Morrigan is the waste prevention and product stewardship policy advisor for Seattle Public Utilities. In this role, she advocates for state and local policies to advance SPU’s vision of zero waste and support the development of an inclusive circular economy, including the adoption of EPR policies in Washington. Previously, McKenna was a senior associate at Cascadia Consulting Group, where she led research and evaluation projects for local and state governments related to recycling programs, policies, and markets.
Justin Gast, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Justin Gast is a natural resources specialist with Oregon DEQ’s Materials Management program, currently working on the implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act (i.e., SB 582), including overseeing the MRF Fees & Permit and Certification Programs project. In addition to his time at DEQ, Justin has spent his 18 years in the industry working at the local and national levels for the likes of Resource Recycling, the Washington County (OR) Solid Waste & Recycling Program and The Recycling Partnership. Justin lives in North Portland with his wife of almost 21 years, Terra, their 22-month old daughter, Birdie, and their seven-year-old goldendoodle, Alice.