News

In June 2023, Connecticut became the first state to pass an EPR for Tires bill (HB 6468), which Governor Ned Lamont signed into law. This law mandates the tire manufacturers manage the entire recycling/retreading system for tires in Connecticut and is expected to decrease illegal dumping and increase the recycling and retreading of tires. Read more.

On May 11, 2023, Governor Jay Inslee signed Washington State’s new legislation into law, making Washington the 11th state – plus Washington D.C. – to enact a battery EPR law and the third behind D.C. and California to include rechargeable and single-use batteries. Washington’s law is the first to include e-mobility devices and a study on how to manage batteries embedded in products, such as electronics.

The Northwest Product Stewardship Council was well represented at the 43rd Annual Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA) Conference in Yakima in May 2023. Besides a booth, there was a session on the Future of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) in WA (including the possibility of an EPR program for HHW) as well as a workshop about EPR – Past, Present & Future. Both had a great turnout and good discussions about EPR.

As of May 2023, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) appointed Circular Action Alliance as the producer responsibility organization (PRO) in charge of implementing Colorado's

In May 2023, Vermont's household hazardous waste (HHW) producer responsibility bill, H.67, passed the legislature and awaits the governor's signature.

The Mattress Recycling Council seeks to hire an Oregon Program Coordinator to help launch the statewide mattress recycling program created by Oregon's 2022 mattress recycling law (SB 1576). This is a remote position; however, applicants must reside in Oregon.

Washington state's 2023 session ended in May, and three EPR related bills passed.

In March 2023, E-Cycle Washington collected 1.8 million pounds of TVs, computers and monitors for recycling. The year-to-date collection total for 2023 is 3.13 million pounds or 103% compared to the 3.04 million pounds collected over the same period in 2022. Over the program’s lifetime the total volume collected is 456.5 million pounds.

Packaging Dive, March 2023: The four states leading the way in the U.S. with packaging EPR – Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California – are working through their rulemaking and encouraging collaboration and harmonization in programs where it’s statutorily possible. In a recent webinar hosted by AMERIPEN, representatives from California, Colorado, and Oregon discussed their laws' various elements and commonalities.

A national deposit return system, often called a bottle bill, would have various and widespread benefits, including increased recycling rates, create jobs in the collection, processing, and transportation of recycled materials and products, significantly reduce litter, engage the public, and save taxpayers money, and finally would spur innovation in the recycling sector.