Lawmakers in Oregon have joined those in eight other states for a coordinated effort around the country to advocate for EPR policies. | Nadia Yong/Shutterstock
Legislators in nine states spanning the U.S. will collaborate to push extended producer responsibility policies for plastic packaging. They said their joint actions will carry more weight than a single legislative effort.
The latest bill includes $284 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. | Dennis Diatel/Shutterstock
Congress sent President Trump a spending bill that includes $900 billion in coronavirus-related relief aid, with nearly one-third of the money dedicated to small business assistance.
The bill authorizes millions in grant funds and also creates a prize to support projects related to preventing marine debris. | Mario De Moya F/Shutterstock
Both chambers of Congress have now passed marine debris prevention legislation, which includes millions of dollars in support to states for recycling and other materials management initiatives.
The legislation ensures pyrolysis plants and other chemical recycling facilities are regulated as manufacturers, rather than solid waste operations. | Cascade Creatives/Shutterstock
Pennsylvania’s governor signed legislation that eases the regulatory environment for facilities that use certain technologies to process scrap plastics.
State and local governments are facing increasing pressure to reverse, delay or otherwise roll back environmentally beneficial waste-reduction policies, such as fees or bans on plastic bags, in the name of public health.
The Recycling Partnership recently released “Accelerating Recycling,” a policy document outlining a proposal that includes fees paid by brands and packaging producers. | photka/Shutterstock
Two major industry groups are promoting packaging fees on product makers to support recycling infrastructure development, a shift one recycling facility operator described as a “historical moment.”
The new California law requires that plastic bottles covered by the bottle deposit program contain at least 15% post-consumer resin by 2022. | hedgehog94/Shutterstock
California’s decision to require post-consumer resin in drink bottles could inspire other states, particularly in the Northeast, to pursue similar laws, according to an industry leader.
Senate Bill 54 would have tasked state regulators with developing and adopting rules requiring all single-use packaging and “priority single-use products” sold in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2032. | SerPhoto/Shutterstock
For the second straight year, a California proposal that had broad recyclability goals did not make it through the legislature.
California Assembly Bill 793 requires that all plastic bottles covered by the state’s container redemption program average at least 15% post-consumer resin starting in 2022. | Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock
California lawmakers approved legislation requiring beverage companies to use recycled plastic. If signed, the bill will usher in the first recycled-content law of its kind for plastic bottles in the U.S.
Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Alan Lowenthal recently outlined how components of their national recycling act might be adapted to fit different states. | DeawSS/Shutterstock
Two members of Congress who have pushed for EPR, a national deposit system and more are now encouraging state and municipal lawmakers to introduce their own versions of the legislation.