Marissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. After developing a special focus on recycling policy, they are also the editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now. Heffernan can be contacted at [email protected].
Extended producer responsibility for packaging bill S 1464 passed out of the Senate on May 28 with a vote of 33-25, but did not get a vote in the Assembly. | Real Window Creative/Shutterstock
The 2025 legislative session in New York ended, and legislators’ hopes to pass extended producer responsibility for packaging this year did as well. Continue Reading
Producer responsibility organization Circular Materials is launching the first phase of packaging extended producer responsibility in Alberta, Canada, on April 1. | Sherif Ashraf 22/Shutterstock
Another Canadian province is rolling out its extended producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products. Continue Reading
Plastics wait to be washed, ground and used as a concrete additive at a local startup, Surpstone. Attendees toured several local businesses using recycled materials. | Marissa Heffernan / Resource Recycling
Extended producer responsibility, community engagement and chemical recycling were all hot topics for Colorado service providers, business owners and municipal representatives at a recent conference. Continue Reading
On opposite sides of the country, Maine and California are both adjusting their bottle bills. | Billion Photos/Shutterstock
California is finalizing the implementation of changes to its deposit return system for beverage containers, while Maine legislators sent a bill to the governor that would delay previous passed changes. Continue Reading
Ridwell is now asking customers to separate textiles into two streams: re-wearable and recyclable. | Photo Courtesy of Ridwell
After years of collecting textiles from households, Ridwell is now asking customers to self-sort the items into re-wearable and recyclable categories, in response to growing volumes and feedback from end markets. Continue Reading
In March, California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected SB 54 draft regulations, forcing the rulemaking process to restart. | Brandon Bourdages/Shutterstock
The first public opportunity to comment on California’s latest extended producer responsibility for packaging draft regulations stretched past the allotted time frame, with some speakers saying changes to a chemical recycling regulation section were unlawful. Continue Reading
The report touches on five main topics: recyclability of covered materials, compostability of covered materials, reuse and refill and other source reduction systems, cost coverage for local jurisdictions, and plastic leakage into the environment. | Ratchat/Shutterstock
Members of the California extended producer responsibility for packaging advisory board have identified dozens of barriers to implementation and offered up possible solutions in a recent report.
Producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance is making staffing changes in California as implementation ramps up. | Max Barnum/Shutterstock
Changes are coming at producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance in California, with Rachel Wagoner moving out of the California executive director role and into an “external advisory capacity.” Continue Reading
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery released a revised informal draft of SB 54 regulations. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery released a revised draft of SB 54 regulations, two months after the governor rejected the first version of the extended producer responsibility for paper and packaging rules.
So far this year, Greif has closed two facilities and shut down a recycled paperboard machine. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
Greif is ending its coated paperboard production on the West Coast by closing its recycled coated paperboard mill in Los Angeles, effective in June.