Senators Jelinek, Hardiman, Pappageorge, Allen, Birkholz, Van Woerkom, Anderson, Gleason, Richardville and Jansen offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 18.

            A resolution to urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to authorize the Office of Pesticide Programs to initiate rulemaking to ensure the sustainability of programs for recycling one-way plastic pesticide containers.

            Whereas, Pesticide container recycling has a number of benefits, both environmental and economical. As more containers are collected for recycling, fewer are sent to landfills for disposal. In addition to saving landfill space, recycling also saves pesticide applicators money otherwise spent on landfill tipping fees. Any material that is recycled slows the depletion of nonrenewable resources; and

Whereas, More than 20 million pounds of one-way plastic pesticide containers have been collected and recycled through a unique and productive partnership of state pesticide agencies, extension offices, trade associations, and pesticide registrants. Collected plastic is consolidated and made into products such as field drain pipe and marine pilings. Each recycled product is evaluated for potential risk by using a risk assessment model developed by the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC). For the past 13 years, the pesticide container recycling program has been managed and promoted by the ACRC, a nonprofit organization established for this purpose. The ACRC is funded by more than 30 companies that formulate, produce, package, and distribute crop protection and other pesticide products; and

            Whereas, Not all companies involved in the production of crop protection and other pesticide products participate in ACRC. However, ACRC collects and recycles all plastic containers, even though the containers may belong to nonmember companies; and

Whereas, The American Association of Pest Control Officials, CropLife America, and the Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment are working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to expand participation in ACRC. These organizations propose that manufacturers either participate in the funding of ACRC or show that they provide end users of one-way plastic pesticide containers with an opportunity to recycle. These organizations further propose that recycling by the end user remain voluntary and that triple-rinsed pesticide containers continue to be treated as non-hazardous material which can be discarded in a landfill. In addition, CropLife America and Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment encourage rulemaking by the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs to establish a standard for recycling pesticide containers, thereby facilitating the widespread collection and recycling of these containers; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to authorize the Office of Pesticide Programs to initiate rulemaking to ensure the sustainability of programs for recycling one-way plastic pesticide containers; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.