News

In August 2019, the Governor of Oregon signed into law HB 3273, requiring manufacturers of covered drugs to develop and implement a drug take-back program by July 1, 2021, and submit plans for participating in a program by Nov. 1, 2020.

From June 5, 2019 Resource Recycling on the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act: "A pair of California bills taking aim at single-use plastic packaging are getting close to the governor’s desk...

In August 2019, the "province of Ontario, Canada, announced it is adopting extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation to shift operating costs for its Blue Box [curbside recycling] Program from municipal taxpayers to the producers of products and packaging collected through the program.

Covering a report to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Economic Study of the Canadian Plastic Industry, Markets and Waste, the Times Colonist wrote June 5, 2019 that the "analysis of

SB 212, passed in 2018, "established a uniform take-back program to provide safe and convenient disposal statewide of medication and sharps. The program requires the manufacturers of needles and medications to provide for disposal and the program’s promotion. This “producer pays” policy approach has been very successfully implemented in Canada, Europe and Mexico for pharmaceuticals and in France for needles.

Washington's plastic packaging stewardship study bill (SB 5397) passed and was signed into law May 21, 2019.

After eight years of testimony from supporters, paint stewardship (HB 1652) passed and was signed into law on May 9, 2019 (the law's effective date is July 28, 2019).

On May 22, 2019, the Vermont legislature passed S.113, an act relating to the management of single-use products, according to an article in Resource Recycling.

In 2018, Washingtonians recycled 1,271,304 mercury-containing lights, weighing almost 600,000 pounds, via LightRecycle Washington. LightRecycle, a manufacturer operated product stewardship program run by nonprofit Product Care Recycling and overseen by the Washington Department of Ecology, allows individuals and businesses to recycle up to 10 mercury-containing lights per day at sites throughout Washington – find a location near you.

Owners of Total Reclaim, the oldest and largest Seattle-area electronics recycler, were sentenced to prison for "conspiracy to commit wire fraud." According to the