Maryland EPR bill gains industry backing

Senate Bill 292 requires producers to submit producer responsibility plans to the state, and those plans must include targets for reducing packaging waste. The legislation also allows local governments to request reimbursement from producers for the costs of collecting, sorting and marketing packaging scrap.

But the bill gives more control to industry than EPR-related bills signed into law in Oregon and Maine, because it would allow the producers, themselves, to set packaging fees based on an analysis conducted by state officials, according to national politics media outlet Politico. 

Politico reported that major packaging industry groups are supporting it, including the Consumer Brands Association, AMERIPEN and the Flexible Packaging Association. Some environmental groups are, as well, although others say it needs more teeth to hold producers accountable, Politico reports.