ILLINOIS ENACTS NATION’S 12TH PAINT EPR LAW 

Households and businesses across Illinois will soon be able to recycle their leftover paint thanks to a new law that was overwhelmingly approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed on Friday, July 28, by Governor J. B. Pritzker. According to Illinois State Senator Linda Holmes, the chief sponsor of the new law, over 1 million gallons of paint will be managed annually under an industry-managed paint recovery and recycling program. The Illinois law is based on a model paint bill mediated by the Product Stewardship Institute over a decade ago and has also been used as the basis for launching the 11 other PaintCare programs. The program is anticipated to go into effect in 2025 and will offer hundreds of conveniently located drop-off locations throughout the state. There will be no cost to residents and businesses when dropping off their unwanted paint for recycling; funding to run the program will be included in the cost of new paint. Read more in our Press Release.

OREGON E-CYCLES MODERNIZATION AMENDMENT ENACTED INTO LAW  

On July 13, Governor Tina Kotek signed into law an amendment to Oregon’s electronics EPR program (HB 3220-2), modernizing and bolstering one of the stronger e-cycles programs in the country. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Pam Marsh, had near-unanimous support in the legislature, as well as from a broad coalition of stakeholders. PSI was contracted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to build consensus on the bill. HB 3220-2 maintained most of the core components of the original law to ensure a high performing EPR program, but also made key upgrades including expanding the list of covered devices, creating a robust convenience standard that will provide greater collection and infrastructure stability, and bringing DEQ’s program oversight in line with other state EPR programs by eliminating the State Contractor Program. Read more in our news alert.

OREGON ADOPTS RULES FOR MATTRESS

STEWARDSHIP ACT

In 2022, Oregon became the fourth U.S. state to enact a law establishing a statewide mattress recycling program. PSI was hired by the OR DEQ and Metro OR to facilitate a consensus on that bill with the mattress industry and governments. The Oregon law significantly raised the bar on effective mattress stewardship in relation to the first generation of laws enacted in 2013 in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and California. PSI was hired in 2010 by the City of Hartford, other Connecticut local governments, and Covanta to develop the first U.S. mattress EPR model.  

On July 20th of this year, Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission adopted rules to implement the new law, which requires mattress manufacturers to set up and operate a recycling program, overseen by the state, that makes it easy for consumers to recycle their unwanted mattresses. More information on the program can be found on the Mattress Stewardship website. Copies of the documents are available on the Mattress Stewardship Rulemaking web page. Copies of the adopted rule amendments are available on the EQC webpage. The official published version of the revised rules is available on the Oregon Secretary of State website. 

Members and Partners receive regular legislative updates and can track EPR bills and laws in our Legislation Library. 

PAINT’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL PLASTIC POLLUTION 

According to a study released by Earth Action (EA), a Swiss research firm, plastic-based paint makes up nearly 95% of the global market and could be the largest single source of microplastic pollution. The study estimates that around 40% of the plastic contained in paint will make its way into the environment, and plastic-based paint may be responsible for about 58% of the microplastics in our oceans and waterways.  

These alarming statistics reinforce the need to take a lifecycle approach to paint manufacturing, reuse, recycling, and product management in general. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies extend upstream and downstream to eliminate impacts from product contents, thus protecting our waterways from microplastics and other harmful substances. Read more in this Bloomberg article. 

NORTHWEST PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

2023 ANNUAL RETREAT

The Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC) is holding their 2023 Annual Retreat in Portland, Oregon on September 11, 10:00am-1:00pm Pacific. The NWPC is a coalition of government organizations in Washington and Oregon that work together to develop and improve Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Product Stewardship policies and programs. The NWPSC is a great forum to not only learn more about these policies and programs, but also help support, shape and improve them. 



Oregon local governments are welcome and encouraged to join the NWPSC retreat. There is no cost to attend the event. For more information and to RSVP, contact [email protected]. 

PSI is excited to announce our partnership with GreenDot, a full-circle EPR management and recycling solutions provider in Europe and North America. GreenDot currently serves over 100,000 customers with a suite of EPR management services. GreenDot’s comprehensive approach—built on a passion for measurable change and problem-solving—helped drive Germany’s plastic packaging recycling rate from 3% in 1991 to over 60% today. Now, they are bringing their decades of hands-on, real-life expertise to improve recycling in the United States, where the plastics recycling rate lingers under 10%. GreenDot will leverage their experience and technologies to develop effective, community-tailored collection and recycling solutions that benefit brand companies and make a lasting impact on underserved markets in the U.S. Read more on our blog. 

PSI has worked in partnership with Indian Health Services, Covanta, and Choctaw Nation, to provide Oklahoma residents with safe drop off or mail in disposal options for used medical sharps, protecting people and the environment.

Great coverage from Resource Recycling on the first-in-the-nation tire EPR law enacted on June 28th in Connecticut, with quotes from PSI’s CEO and Founder Scott Cassel and Jen Heaton-Jones, Executive Director at Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority and Chair of the Connecticut Product Stewardship Council, a PSI Member.  

The Boston Globe spoke with Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI, on food packaging and plastics recycling. Scott emphasized the need for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), saying “Ultimately, we can’t drive ourselves crazy. Because it’s not up to the consumer. No, it’s the manufacturers, they should be penalized for nonrecyclable packaging they put on the market.” 

Coverage from Waste Dive on the amendment to Oregon’s electronics EPR program that highlights the efforts of PSI and OR DEQ, a PSI Member, in building consensus on the bill. 

Resource Recycling published an article on Vermont’s first-in-the-nation HHW EPR law, enacted on June 12th, calling on experts Suna Bayrakal, PSI’s Director of Policy and Programs, and Jen Holliday, Director of Public Policy and Communications for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD), chair of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council, and a PSI Board member. 

August 14-16, Orlando, FL – Resource Recycling Conference, in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership. Register here.  

August 16-19, Ocean City, MD – Lelande Rehard, PSI’s Senior Associate for Policy & Programs, will present at the Maryland Association of Counties Summer 2023 Conference. Register here. 

September 11-14, Portland, OR – The 2023 Product Stewardship Forum hosted by the Product Stewardship Institute. Learn more about sponsorship and register here.  

September 17-22, Tempe, AZ – North American Hazardous Materials Management Association (NAHMMA) National Conference. Register here. 

September 26, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on packaging EPR at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition ADVANCE conference. Register here.

September 29, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on packaging EPR at SWANA WASTECON. Register here.

October 10, Bend, OR – Suna Bayrakal, PSI’s Director of Policy and Programs, will co-present with Metro at the 2023 Association of Oregon Recyclers Sustainable Oregon Conference. Register here. 

October 10, Minneapolis, MN – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will speak at a workshop on packaging EPR at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) Fall Meeting. This event is a follow-up to a July 13 EPR webinar convened by MWMA. Registration coming soon. 

October 17, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on Packaging EPR Global Trends at PSX 2023. Register here.

The European Commission is proposing EPR for textiles, making producers responsible for the full life cycle of the textiles they produce. The proposal also includes researching new technologies to support the circularity of the textiles industry. Read more. 

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) committee on addressing battery recycling heavily considered EPR as a solution to handling large-format batteries, such as those for mowers. Read more.   

The EU has adopted a battery circular economy regulation that includes EPR with collection and recovery targets, labelling requirements by 2026, and an electronic “battery passport” and a QR code by 2027. Read more. 

A recent report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group advocates for state and federal regulation on e-cigarettes and vapes to address the plastic and battery waste these devices create. Read more. 

In the beginning of July, the Netherlands implemented EPR for textiles. Textiles producers are now responsible for financing and managing textiles reuse and recycling. Learn more with this fact sheet and view the decree on rules for EPR for textile products here. 

British Vogue recently published an article on textiles recycling in the EU, citing EPR as a hopeful solution. Read more.  

TIME SENSITIVE:

District of Columbia Battery Stewardship Proposed Rulemaking

On July 7, the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) published proposed rules that schedule fines for violation of its 2021 battery EPR law. The proposed rules address violations that include failure to: (1) fully implement an approved battery stewardship plan, (2) submit an annual report, (3) submit amended performance goals, (4) provide a safety tutorial for collection sites, and (5) join a battery stewardship organization. Comments on the proposed rulemaking are due by August 7, 2023. Also, as of August 1, D.C. Official Code § 8-771.09 bans the disposal of single-use and rechargeable household batteries in the trash and requires them to be properly recycled. For more information, see DOEE’s Sustainable Materials Management webpage.

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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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