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].
With the broad intent of its EPR program now settled, regulators and stakeholders in Maine are hashing out the details of reimbursements, covered material lists, and much more. | Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Maine is moving ahead with its packaging EPR rulemaking process, with a key December deadline for submission to the state’s Board of Environmental Protection approaching fast. Continue Reading
Topics at a recent discussion of EPR programs included collection, efficiency and harmony across jurisdictions. | mi_viri/Shutterstock
Producer responsibility organizations can help drive efficiency and harmonization in extended producer responsibility programs, stakeholders suggested at a recent conference. Continue Reading
As the California legislature passes a handful of bills covering a number of hot-button issues, stakeholders in the state are optimistic about the road to a circular economy. | Jonathan Lenz/Shutterstock
Another busy legislative season is winding down in California. Several recycling-related bills made it to the governor’s desk this year, dealing with the right to repair, extended producer responsibility and the state’s deposit return system. Others didn’t make it to the finish line. Continue Reading
Comply Loop lets clients evaluate their adherence to EPR requirements in multiple countries. | Kenishirotie/Shutterstock
Three big names in data management and circular logistics have joined forces to create Comply Loop, a one-stop shop for extended producer responsibility compliance.
Anja Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at the Ocean Conservancy, speaks during the “Plastic Tensions Within Extended Producer Responsibility” session at the 2023 Resource Recycling Conference in Orlando, Fla. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
Resource Recycling Conference attendees may have been expecting a boxing ring when stakeholders got on stage to talk about plastic and extended producer responsibility, but instead they got a message of hope, progress and civil disagreement on film, chemical recycling and labeling. Continue Reading
Researcher Reid Lifset sees a lack of good data as a major barrier to eco-modulation achieving its full potential. | Marko Rupena/Shutterstock
Reid Lifset, a longtime member of the faculty at the Yale School of the Environment, wrote the first peer-reviewed academic article on extended producer responsibility in 1993. He’s “been intrigued by it and studying it ever since.” In an interview with Resource Recycling, he talked about his latest research article on eco-modulation and his thoughts on best practices for using eco-modulation to drive eco-design in packaging.
Environmental groups and industry organizations disagree over how to classify chemical recycling. | Bowonpat Sakaew/Shutterstock
Chemical recycling has been at the center of recycling debates recently, a focus that has been mirrored in state legislatures. Continue Reading
Under the new law, tire recycling fees will be deposited into a stewardship fund, and manufacturers will be required to demonstrate that used tires are being recycled or resold. | Leestudio/Shutterstock
Connecticut this summer became the first state to enact a statewide extended producer responsibility program for tires, moving beyond previous iterations of regulated programs into fully producer managed and funded end-of-life management. Continue Reading
Lawmakers in the Great Lakes State are putting into motion a suite of bills that focus on reuse, resource reduction and much more. | Henryk-Sadura/Shutterstock
Michigan is rolling out big changes to its solid waste management laws, taking a slow and steady approach to a complicated modernization process.
Pinning down an accepted materials list means balancing a variety of needs and interests. | nate samui/Shutterstock
States with extended producer responsibility programs are starting to grapple with a tricky question: How do we establish a list of materials covered by the system?