We are excited to share a new addition to our legislative resources – a webpage dedicated to 2024 Legislative Updates! This new feature, available to all PSI Members and Partners, builds on our Legislation Library by adding new functionality, including:

• live, up-to-the-moment updates on the status of bills that would establish new extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs or amend existing laws in the United States.
• bills status by product, 
• an interactive map that allows you to drill down on the status of bills by state, and 
• links to the bill text and state legislature sites.

The Legislation Library remains an active resource where PSI Members and Partners can access U.S. EPR laws and bills dating back to 2014. We hope you enjoy the new features and welcome your feedback at [email protected].

If you’re interested in accessing this resource, consider PSI Membership or Partnership. Contact [email protected] to learn more! 

On January 8, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management Act, making it the first state with an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The legislation (A5365/S3723) requires producers of propulsion batteries to establish battery management plans that must be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) for approval and reviewed at least every five years. Stewardship organizations must also submit plans that will achieve program goals established by the NJ DEP. Additionally, producers will be responsible for developing educational materials for consumers regarding available collection options, as well as to inform vehicle owners, repair facilities, and dismantlers about the requirement to properly manage batteries. Learn more in our news alert. 

Circular Action Alliance, the producer responsibility organization that will implement Colorado’s producer responsibility for packaging and paper products law, recently released a draft needs assessment report that outlines various model scenarios for how the program could operate and, among other things, includes a proposed list of materials to be included in a statewide acceptance list. As facilitator of the Colorado Producer Responsibility Advisory Board, PSI has assisted the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment in obtaining input from the Board on draft components of the draft needs assessment report. Public feedback on the draft report is now being accepted through February 19th. Comments can be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “Needs Assessment Feedback.” Read more.

On December 28, 2023, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) rejected the Mattress Recycling Council’s (MRC) proposed mattress stewardship plan that was submitted on September 29, 2023 for state review as required by Oregon’s mattress EPR law. The DEQ found that the plan did not meet, or needs additional information to address, the requirements of the law, including:

• providing convenient collection by program launch; 
• public education of mattress collection options statewide;
• anticipated annual operating budget details;
• a mechanism to mitigate costs of managing illegally dumped mattresses; and 
• information on whether, and how, MRC will consider communities traditionally underserved by convenient waste collection services when locating a collection site. 

The MRC must submit a revised plan to the DEQ by February 26, 2024. 

In developing Oregon’s program, PSI helped facilitated an agreement between Oregon DEQ, Metro, and the International Sleep Products Association that ultimately helped enact the law in 2022. This effort was built on lessons learned from the three current mattress programs, for which PSI also facilitated model agreements with governments and the mattress industry. 

In January, a group of 10 PSI government members published a rebuttal to an opinion piece written by Heidi Brock, the president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). In its response to Brock’s piece, which claimed EPR programs present a risk to the long-term success of paper recycling, the group of government recycling professionals confront the reality that the current recycling system in the U.S. is not as effective as AF&PA claims. The rebuttal refutes AF&PA’s claim that 68% of paper in the U.S. was recycled in 2022 and argues that EPR programs around the world have been shown to boost paper recycling rates, increase investments in recycling infrastructure, and improve the sustainability of paper packaging.

In February of 2023, PSI was selected as a recipient of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.’s Small Nonprofit Organization Grant Initiative, which provides geographic information systems (GIS) software. Over the past year, PSI has used the GIS software to evaluate product stewardship programs, identify disparities in access, and support informed decision-making processes. 

Notably, PSI partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Covanta, and members of the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee to establish 15 new medical sharps take-back sites in Oklahoma in 2023. PSI created drive-time maps with the GIS software that illustrate how these new take-back sites increased collection services within a 30-minute drive time by 28%, significantly improving standards for accessibility and convenience. Check out the project here. 

PSI will continue harnessing the potential of GIS software to elevate our projects, enhance strategies, and make impactful data-driven decisions. This tool serves as a valuable resource for optimizing outreach strategies and ensuring the strategic placement of crucial facilities for communities. 

PERSPECTIVES ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP:

Navigating an extended producer

responsibility path to a circular economy

by Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI

If you are a PSI Member or Partner, contact

[email protected] for 30% discount code. Signed copies available.

Four years in the making, Scott’s book covers his 40-year personal journey in the recycling field from a local volunteer to advocating for municipal recycling programs as a state government official, and to the creation of PSI. The book lays out abundant evidence on why a change to the US recycling system is desperately needed and how PSI and numerous others translated policy concepts into EPR laws. It also contains the process that PSI uses to create effective EPR laws through collaborative stakeholder engagement.



Scott discusses the first two decades of the EPR movement in the U.S., where we are now in the journey, and expected trends for the future. The book outlines the basic principles of product stewardship and EPR, along with the roles played by each stakeholder group. And it traces the origin of the concept of responsibility, how it was incorporated into the environmental and EPR movements, and the reaction to it by corporations and others. The book also covers the major EPR laws developed in Europe and Canada that have provided the foundation for EPR laws in the U.S. It references many of the 25 product categories on which PSI works, with three in-depth case studies—on paint, batteries, and packaging.  

Become a PSI Member or Partner!

PSI Partners are business, academic, environmental nonprofit, and international government leaders who work with PSI and our U.S. government members on product stewardship policy and emerging legislation through shared intelligence and strategic alliances. Depending on engagement level, Partners gain access to exclusive benefits that cover PSI’s 20+ years of product stewardship policy and legislative development across multiple product categories. During legislative session, we track EPR bills on a daily basis. We also provide policy intelligence briefings for Partners, who can develop proprietary consulting projects with PSI. And we offer significant marketing benefits, including sponsorship opportunities.

PSI Members are state, local, and tribal government leaders who work with PSI on product stewardship policy and emerging legislation through shared intelligence and strategic alliances. Membership provides access to information and initiatives that can save time and money, including exclusive benefits that cover PSI’s 20+ years of product stewardship policy and legislative development across multiple product categories. During legislative session, we track EPR bills on a daily basis and provide regular legislative briefings for Members, who can develop proprietary consulting projects with PSI. Members can also vote for or serve on our Board of Directors, and have the opportunity speak at our webinars or events.

If you’re interested in becoming a PSI Partner or Member, contact [email protected] to learn more! 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

WORK WITH PSI

Interested? Apply! Or help us spread the word. Please share the following information on this exciting new role with those in your network who might be interested in joining our dedicated team of environmental stewards.



Marketing and Communications Coordinator: We are seeking an energetic and talented person with a passion for waste reduction and recycling policy and a talent for storytelling and advocacy to join our organization, which is leading the producer responsibility movement in the US. Join our team!

NEW YORK STATE POLLUTION PREVENTION INSTITUTE

Job Opportunity: Director

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) is seeking a Director to lead its statewide technology development, transfer, and assistance center whose mission is to make New York State more environmentally sustainable for businesses, workers, and the public through more efficient use of raw materials, energy and water, and reductions in toxic chemical use, emissions to the environment and waste generation. Learn more and apply here. 

KING COUNTY SOLID WASTE DIVISION

Job Opportunity: Supervisor

King County Solid Waste Division (WA) is seeking an Environmental Programs Managing Supervisor that will help lead innovative and strategic efforts towards advancing healthy, safe, and thriving communities in a waste-free King County. Click here for more information.

PSI IN THE NEWS

WasteDive covered New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation EPR law for electric vehicle batteries, citing PSI’s news alert and noting PSI’s work on model legislation and EPR advocacy.  

Recycling Today also covered New Jersey’s EPR law for electric vehicle batteries, highlighting PSI’s model battery EPR legislation. 

The Cool Down's article on junk-mail waste cites PSI’s stats on unwanted marketing mail, water waste, and deforestation.  

WasteDive article on the outlook of EPR in 2024, featuring quotes from Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI, on the potential for states to prioritize EPR study bills over full program legislation. 

February 27, Augusta, ME – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present at an all-day EPR 101 educational meeting on packaging EPR hosted by the Northern New England Chapter of SWANA and targeted for Maine's municipalities. Register here.      

April 2-4, New Orleans – Scott Cassel, PSI's CEO and Founder, will be moderating the following sessions at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition's IMPACT 2024 Conference. Register here.

• Panel: How is the Implementation of EPR Going? EPR legislation has passed in four states in the United States. In this session, we will hear from key stakeholders on the state of implementation of the legislation in each state and their predictions on when the impacts will be seen in communities and at the MRF level.
• Panel: Producer Town Hall Session: In this session, producers from different industry sectors will have an open dialogue regarding producer engagement in packaging EPR, which elements of packaging EPR are most important to producers, and more.
• There will also be an exclusive opportunity for a small group conversation among producers focused on fostering a national dialogue for packaging EPR legislation.

The Recycling Council of Alberta offers latest developments in EPR implementation in Alberta, including important dates and primary objectives of the province’s EPR regulation for single-use products, packaging, and paper products (PPP), and hazardous and special products (HSP). Read more. 

According to a recent report from The Recycling Partnership, a PSI Partner, only 21 percent of residential recyclables are being recycled. Read more.  

PaintCare, a PSI Partner, writes in Waste Advantage Magazine about the benefits of EPR for paint, including convenient access to paint recycling, expanding best-use, and increasing access to reuse products. Read more. 

A study from the National Waste and Recycling Association and Resource Recycling Systems reports an increase in catastrophic fires due to lithium-ion batteries. Read more. 

Seattle Public Utilities, a PSI Member, has banned disposing of batteries and some electronic devices in the garbage due to increased fire risk from improper disposal. Read more.  

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!

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 [email protected] or 617.236.4855.