State houses across the country are seeing bills filed that center on plastics and recycling. | Zolnierek/Shutterstock
The 2024 legislative season is in full swing, with dozens of bills filed so far on extended producer responsibility for packaging and regulation of plastic products.
Stewardship programs, extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs and bans on single-use plastic items are common so far, similar to last year.
Here’s a quick rundown by state of some plastic-related bills that have been introduced as of Jan. 22:
Florida:
S 0036 and H 0455 would require the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan.
S 0498 would restrict local governments’ ability to regulate auxiliary containers, wrappings, disposable plastic bags and polystyrene products, giving any such regulation made by the state precedence.
a ban on local laws regulating auxiliary containers, wrappings, disposable plastic bags and polystyrene products.
H 0905 would require consumers and dealers to pay deposit fees for specified beverage containers and get those fees refunded upon redemption.
Hawaii:
HB 1585 would prohibit state agencies from purchasing or using polystyrene food-service containers.
SB 2368 would require the Department of Health to conduct a statewide needs assessment to inform the future establishment of an EPR program for packaging.
SB 2576 and HB 1897 would prohibit lodging establishments from providing personal care products in small plastic containers.
Illinois:
HB 4448 would ban stores or food service businesses from providing or selling single-use plastic bags and grocery stores from providing or selling single-use paper bags.
SB 85 would create a container deposit system.
SB 2816 would require public reporting of the types and volumes of material treated at authorized recycling facilities, composting facilities and municipal landfills.
Kansas:
HB 1446 would prohibit cities and counties from regulating plastic and other containers.
Maryland:
HB 168 would require producers of certain plastic products to pay an annual fee and would establish minimum post-consumer recycled content requirements.
Massachusetts:
S 570 would ban single-use plastic bags and single-use foodservice ware, regulate the use of plastic bottles, explore EPR for packaging and encourage composting.
Missouri:
HB 2419 would repeal a ban on local governments regulating paper and plastic bags.
New Hampshire:
HB 1207 would ban food service facilities from providing disposable plastic utensils except upon customer request.
HB 1630 would create an EPR program for packaging.
HB 1636 would create a container deposit system.
New Jersey:
Assembly Bill 426 (carried over from last year) would repeal a ban on providing or selling some single-use products.
A 1816 (carried over from last year) would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or promotion of consumer products containing microbeads.
A 2776 (carried over from last year) would exempt certain plastic materials processed at chemical processing facilities from laws regulating solid waste disposal and recycling.
S 208 (carried over from last year) would establish EPR for packaging.
S 224 and A 2775 (carried over from last year) would set recyclability labeling requirements.
S 964 (carried over from last year) would remove a ban on grocery stores providing single-use paper and plastic bags.
New York:
S 4246 (carried over from last year) would enact EPR for packaging.
S 8361 would require all state agencies and offices to stop buying single-use plastic water bottles and install water bottle filling stations in state buildings.
Rhode Island:
S 2051 would exempt reusable bags from the state sales tax.
H 7215 would mandate that food service establishments only provide single-use utensils to a customer upon request.
Utah:
HB 107 would amend the recycling facility transparency law to add new reporting requirements for haulers and materials recycling facility (MRF) operators.
Virgina:
HB 228 would set recycling labeling requirements.
Washington:
HB 1900 would require strategies to achieve higher recycling rates within Washington’s existing solid waste management system.
HB 2049 would create an EPR program for paper and packaging.
HB 2144 would create a container deposit system.