PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP UPDATES |
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As the momentum for EPR continues to grow, this has been one of PSI's busiest legislative sessions on record, and we saw significant success in moving EPR forward for a range of products across the United States.
Five bills to create new EPR programs passed into law this session, including the first U.S. gas cylinders EPR law (Connecticut), mattresses (Oregon), packaging (Colorado and California), and pharmaceuticals (Illinois). In New York, a carpet EPR bill also passed the legislature and is awaiting the governor's signature. In addition, two bills to amend existing electronics EPR programs were enacted in Hawaii and South Carolina. At the end of July, 62 unique bills to establish a new EPR program or amend a current program had been introduced. They covered 14 products in 18 states, with packaging bills featuring most prominently (24 in 15 states), followed by mattresses, paint, and batteries.
Let’s celebrate: PSI has been helping to pass EPR legislation and programs for more than two decades – resulting in 129 laws across 16 product categories in 33 states! View our updated U.S. State EPR Laws Map to learn more.
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First Solar EPR Law Takes Effect |
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We provided considerable guidance and technical support and cohosted an informational session with Niagara County and the NY State Association of Counties, "EPR for Solar Panels in New York” in September 2021 (video recording available to PSI Members and Partners). The law requires producers of solar panels to collect, transport, and recycle solar panels in Niagara County and sets mandatory recovery and recycling rate targets for producers. We hope it will provide a benchmark for future legislation.
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Legislators Weigh In on Packaging EPR |
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Nearly 600 stakeholders registered for our recent webinar with Colorado State Representative Lisa Cutter, Washington State Senator Mona Das, Maine State Senator Nicole Grohoski, and Maryland State Delegate Sara Love: “Legislators Changing the Game on Packaging EPR” (video recording available to PSI Members and Partners). Although many questions were addressed during the Q&A, we felt that a few deserved additional follow up. Read more on the blog!
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LEGISLATION NEWS IN BRIEF |
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Members and Partners receive regular legislative updates and can track EPR bills and laws in our Legislation Library.
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POWERING UP FOR BATTERY EPR |
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Global efforts to stabilize our climate have resulted in an increased use of electric bikes, scooters, and vehicles — and the batteries that power them. Extended producer responsibility for batteries provides an effective solution to preventing fires and environmental contamination, recovering valuable critical minerals, reducing greenhouse gases, and creating recycling jobs. Please join us for a free "Powering Up for Battery EPR" webinar to discuss the past, present, and future of battery EPR.
Note: This webinar is open to everyone, but the video recording will be accessible only to PSI Members and Partners. Learn more and sign up today!
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We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with LANDBELL GROUP, which delivers chemical stewardship and risk assessment services in the United States and Canada through its consultancy, H2 Compliance.
With its comprehensive core services – compliance, consulting and software – LANDBELL GROUP helps companies meet their EPR obligations worldwide. The company’s PROs have collected and treated more than 10 million tonnes of waste batteries, electronics, and packaging since 1995.
LANDBELL GROUP will present our forthcoming “Powering Up for Battery EPR” webinar, with panelist Martin Tobin, CEO of European Recycling Platform (ERP) in Ireland, a LANDBELL GROUP company. ERP is actively involved in the proposed revision of the European Union’s Battery Directive.
LANDBELL GROUP is a recognized expert for waste portable battery compliance and takeback, having collected and treated over 100,000 tonnes of waste portable batteries; with an established reverse supply chain in over 40 countries, they also have more than 10 years’ experience managing international takeback activities for lithium batteries.
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The Hill, which covers federal and state legislation for lawmakers published our oped with the Pack Green Coalition: “In every state, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) holds the potential to move us forward to a circular economy in which waste and pollution are eliminated, materials and products are circulated at their highest value, and resources are replenished. We will continue to work together to make this vision a reality.”
Resource Recycling provided an excellent summary and context for SB54, California’s new packaging EPR law, including a reference to PSI’s analysis.
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Sydney Harris, PSI's Policy & Programs Manager, will present on an EPR panel hosted by David Eldridge, Editor of Plastics Recycling World magazine, at the Plastics Recycling World Conference, November 9-10 in Cleveland, OH.
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The Department of Justice rarely focuses its efforts on municipal solid waste, but as the Biden administration prioritizes environmental justice, we may see more investigations into illegal dumping, like this one in Houston.
Noncompliant retailers hamstring California’s bottle bill program, new report shows.
We’re heartened by federal efforts to reduce single-use plastics – including an indication that the Biden administration may reduce the purchase of single-use plastics, and last month’s announcement by the Interior Department to phase them out in national parks and on federal lands – while states continue to progress on packaging EPR legislation.
Looking forward to the roll-out of India’s new single-use plastic ban, and to see how compliance and enforcement are implemented in such a large and rapidly growing economy.
Ocean Conservancy retracted misinformation in their seminal paper, Stemming the Tide of Plastic Pollution: “By focusing so narrowly on one region of the world (East and Southeast Asia), we created a narrative about who is responsible for the ocean plastic pollution crisis – one that failed to acknowledge the outsized role that developed countries, especially the United States, have played and continue to play in generating and exporting plastic waste to this very region.”
We regularly share information like this on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to get these updates in real time, please follow our accounts. Thanks!
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In 2022, 16 states introduced packaging EPR legislation and game-changing packaging laws were enacted in Colorado and California, furthering the momentum from 2021, when the first two EPR packaging laws were enacted in Maine and Oregon. Last month, PSI hosted a webinar with Colorado State Representative Lisa Cutter, Washington State Senator Mona Das, Maine State Senator Nicole Grohoski, and Maryland State Delegate Sara Love. The video recording of “Legislators Changing the Game on Packaging EPR” is available to PSI Members and Partners.
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The Product Stewardship Institute is a policy advocate and consulting 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers the emerging circular economy. We rely on the generosity of our members, partners, and supporters to convene diverse stakeholders to build extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies, programs, and laws. Thank you!
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The Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Persons with disabilities who require alternatively formatted materials to ensure effective communication should contact Amanda Nicholson at amanda@productstewardship.us or 617.236.4855, TTY: use 711 or 800-439-2730; MassRelay.
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