A May 28 webinar, “Coalition Building for Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Paper Products,” shared tips and tricks for passing EPR legislation with a strong group of supporters. | OnePhoto/Shutterstock
Getting extended producer responsibility legislation passed takes a strong coalition, targeted education and a lot of meetings, those involved with the process in several states said during a recent webinar.
Graphic by Eunomia Consulting
Across the United States, there is growing consideration among advocates and legislators regarding the role of policy in advancing recycling services to ensure equitable access and opportunity to residents while maximizing environmental and economic outcomes. This is exemplified through recent progress in extended producer responsibility policy for packaging. In 2024, nine states – from New York to Tennessee – have introduced legislation for packaging EPR, with the Minnesota governor recently signing an EPR bill, while the four states that have already passed EPR are rapidly moving through implementation phases.
Minnesota sent an EPR bill to its governor in a budget bill. | Rawf8/Shutterstock
Minnesota is poised to be the fifth U.S. state to pass extended producer responsibility for packaging after adding the program language into the 2024 Environment and Natural Resources Budget, which is now on the governor’s desk. Continue Reading
RRS compiled initial data on the collection and recycling system in the state, and of the 121 categories of data the report sought, 43 were available, 27 were partially available and 51 were currently unknown or not currently available. | BestStockFoto/Shutterstock
While New York has several efforts underway to gather more recycling data, significant gaps still remain and could complicate passage of an extended producer responsibility bill for paper and packaging, a recent analysis found. Continue Reading
The week of negotiations had moments of both hope and frustration for delegates, who are racing against the clock to create a final treaty. | Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB Kiara Worth
The fourth meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty ended just after 3 a.m. on April 30 with general agreement on the need for global rules and mandates on product design, composition, performance and extended producer responsibility.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act AB 5322 in the Assembly Codes committee and its companion bill, SB 4246, is in the Senate finance committee. | robert-paul-van-beet/Shutterstock
New York legislators are once again pushing to become the fifth state in the U.S. to implement extended producer responsibility for packaging.
An initial extended producer responsibility for packaging plan in Oregon covers the years 2025 through 2027. | Yanqiang Dai/Shutterstock
The shape of Oregon’s extended producer responsibility for packaging plan is becoming clearer after the Circular Action Alliance released its initial program plan to the state. Continue Reading
The first packaging data reporting deadlines for extended producer responsibility programs will hit in 2025, but gathering the needed data will take time and help from up and down the value chain. | A9-STUDIO/Shutterstock
In about a year, companies will be required to start reporting various data under four different extended producer responsibility laws as well as some recycled content and labeling laws. Many are still not ready, industry stakeholders cautioned.
A strong coalition of stakeholders is vital for successful EPR legislation. | OlegKovalevichh/Shutterstock
Policy Now readers are, no doubt, familiar with the growing wave of interest in extended producer responsibility (EPR). A decade ago, it was remarkable to see even one or two states introduce EPR policies in the same legislative cycle. Already this year, some form of EPR for packaging and paper products was introduced in nine states. At the same time, EPR legislation is being considered and enacted in some more established product categories, like electronics, paint and mattresses, as well as in some new areas like batteries (EV and small and medium format), household hazardous waste, vehicle tires, pharmaceuticals, solar panels, wind turbines and marine flares.
The Senate Committee of Environment & Public Works recently held a hearing on extended producer responsibility for consumer packaging, while Alpek Polyester and BlueTriton Brands also joined a lobbying effort to advocate for a national bottle bill. | j.chizhe/Shutterstock
Several different policy strategies to increase recycling have been getting federal attention as of late, including extended producer responsibility and container deposits. Continue Reading