No U.S. state currently has an EPR law in place for packaging. | Yurii Prohonnyi/Shutterstock
Maine legislators are gearing up to introduce a bill that would mandate producers to fund the recycling of packaging they put on the market. The plan calls for different requirements based on whether a packaging type is “readily recyclable.”
California legislators are expected to take up recycling-related legislation again in 2020. | michael warwick/Shutterstock
Packaging EPR is already in place in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec. | One Photo / Shutterstock
New Brunswick will require that manufacturers pay for the end-of-life collection and processing of the packaging materials they produce.
Jenna Jambeck was the keynote at this year’s Resource Recycling Conference and Trade Show, held in late summer. | Resource Recycling Conference/Brian Adams Photography
The statistic has taken on almost household familiarity: 91% of plastic ever created has not been recycled, and a massive amount has become litter. Jenna Jambeck, a researcher who helped formulate that number, recently spoke about solutions to the pollution problem.
Experts say a deposit system for non-alcoholic beverage containers would complement a Canadian province’s curbside recycling system, by cutting costs and increasing the volume of material recycled each year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will ban a number of single-use plastic products and will support establishing extended producer responsibility for plastic items.
Maine capitol building in Augusta.
The state of Maine has pledged to implement extended producer responsibility for packaging materials. Legislation will be proposed by the end of this year.
North Carolina capitol building in Raleigh.
Lawmakers in North Carolina are advancing a bill that would eliminate restrictions on disposing TVs and computer equipment.
With an overwhelming number of votes in favor, Vermont lawmakers have sent the governor a bill banning plastic bags, expanded polystyrene food service containers and plastic stir sticks.