We’re halfway through July, and I’ve got news on the continuing work on implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging in Colorado and California. In addition, there are several new reports out on plastic pollution and disposable vapes.
Yesterday, I shared coverage of the Container Recycling Institute's 2025 policy roundup webinar, and today I have additional details from Eunomia on what a modernized bottle bill might mean for New York.
And now, policy:
Bill Updates
In Massachusetts, SB 653 was referred by the Senate to the Joint Committee on Rules. The bill would create an EPR program for electronics.
In California, AB 823 is moving through the Senate, after the Assembly passed it in June. The bill amends a previous law banning plastic microbeads in personal care products to allow producers to sell down existing stock until 2030.
Also in California, SB 633, which would require companies using post-consumer resin in beverage containers to report the PCR’s country of origin, is moving through the Assembly after crossing chambers in early June.
Program Updates
An Australian regulatory body delayed the phase-in of a proposed EPR fee model, which was supposed to start in 2027, after “stakeholder demand for greater regulatory certainty and free rider management.”
In Colorado, producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance is holding a summer webinar series aimed at helping local governments prepare for packaging EPR.
California launched an expanded polystyrene (EPS) food service ware reporting portal, for consumers to report potential violations of the de facto ban. Under the state’s packaging EPR law, EPS food service ware cannot be sold or distributed in the state as of this year, unless it meets certain recycling rates. The industry has not yet provided evidence to the state that it is meeting the 25% recycling threshold.
Consulting firm Eunomia partnered with Reloop to study the effects of a proposed deposit refund system (DRS) modernization in New York. The study found that the beverage container recycling rate could improve from 66% to 91%, saving municipalities between $39.5 million and $108.6 million per year in collection costs. However, if MRFs did not raise tipping fees, they would have an estimated revenue loss of 4%, or $57.43 million dollars. The report noted that could be mitigated by raising tipping fees from $90 per ton to $128 per ton, on average.
Hard-to-Sort News
Ocean Conservancy published a report, “United States of Plastics,” analyzing state-level efforts on plastic pollution. Using a five-star scale, the report found that the average score was 1.5 stars — ranked as “needs improvement” — and 44 states earned less than 3 stars. In a press release, Director of Plastics Policy Anja Brandon called the results disappointing:
“Four in five Americans consider plastic pollution to be the most pressing issue facing our ocean, yet only six states ranked as ‘good’ or above in our study. We hope that the United States of Plastics report inspires policy change and gives a benchmark for states to measure their progress in combating plastic pollution in the years to come.”
The U.S. PIRG Education Fund released a second report on disposable vapes, finding that Americans threw away 5.7 disposable vapes and e-cigarettes per second in 2023, up from 4.5 per second in 2022. That’s close to 500,000 disposable vapes thrown out each day in 2023 — but the report found regulation can slow the tide.
Looking forward
Nonprofit MRF Eco-Cycle and Walking Mountains Science Center are hosting a webinar on July 31 covering waste diversion and sustainability policy in Colorado.
Next week, look for detailed coverage of CAA’s covered cost methodology and payment mechanism in California. Thanks for reading, and share this with a friend!
–Marissa Heffernan