Remaining Updated on April 1, 2023
Whilst you buy a product, would you just like the packaging, or what’s contained within the bundle deal? Undecided about you nonetheless after I buy a bag of chips – I would like the chips, not the plastic bag.
So why can we pay for packaging, pay to eliminate it, after which if/when it winds up in our environment, pay with our tax {{dollars}} to clean it up?
This put up was sponsored by The Pure Property Council of Maine. All concepts and opinions are my very personal. For additional data, please see my disclosure protection.
Happily, we’re in a position to restore this with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). A main inside the nation laws was handed in Maine, the state I not too way back moved to.
Nonetheless what exactly is EPR and why does it matter? Proper right here’s each little factor you need to discover out about EPR and the way in which enacting this laws may assist the environment.
what does epr suggest?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental protection technique whereby a producer’s accountability for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.
Proper right here’s how the EPR laws works in Maine:
- Producers of merchandise pays proper right into a fund based on the amount and the recyclability of packaging associated to their merchandise.
- These funds can be utilized to reimburse municipalities for eligible recycling and waste administration costs, make investments in recycling infrastructure, and help Maine residents understand the easiest way to recycle.
Whereas this laws would not limit a producer’s packaging decisions, it does shift the worth of managing packaging waste from municipalities and residents onto the producers. This areas a fee on producers based on their packaging alternatives.
Funds by producers might be based on:
It’s going to current incentives for producers to resolve on additional readily recyclable packaging and likewise use a lot much less packaging.
why does extended producer accountability matter?
Our recycling strategies are being overwhelmed by wasteful packaging and plastic air air pollution which will’t be recycled. It’s inflicting extreme points.
In 2017, China stopped accepting our recycling. Since then, Western nations have been puzzling over what to do when the ban went into impression.
Plastic recycling prices have dropped from 9% to 5% these days. Whereas 9% wasn’t a extreme cost to begin with, it’s clear by this drop we’re not getting increased at recycling. We’re getting worse.
Recycling has always been a flawed system. Nonetheless, there are solutions in place which will help us reduce waste and assure our devices have a greater probability of getting recycled.
EPR for packaging is a confirmed decision working across the globe for lowering packaging waste. It’s going to enhance recycling prices worldwide (over 40 jurisdictions like Germany, Brazil, Spain, Iceland, and further!)
The authorized pointers moreover save taxpayer money and provide help to cash-strapped cities. They try this by requiring large companies and producers to help pay for the worth of recycling their wasteful packaging, plenty of it plastic.
This moreover encourages large companies to design increased packaging that has a lot much less waste and will actually be recycled.
the place have epr authorized pointers been enacted?
Maine handed the nation’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging laws in 2021! For the time being, Oregon, Colorado, and California have joined the social gathering, and many additional states are considering associated insurance coverage insurance policies.
how have epr authorized pointers affected europe?
In Europe, EPR has an EU-wide mandate for varied merchandise. This accommodates packaging, single-use plastic devices, batteries and accumulators, electrical and digital gear.
Proper right here’s some stats on how the EPR laws helps reduce waste and save taxpayers money:
- 25 EU Member States have utilized EPR in nationwide packaging waste insurance coverage insurance policies
- €3.1 billion of estimated annual prices paid by producers to {{industry}} and non-industry owned packaging EPR schemes in Europe.
- 47% Packaging recycling cost inside the EU-15 in 1998. 65% packaging recycling cost inside the EU-27 in 2012.
Clearly, the EPR laws is working to chop again packaging waste, and enhance recyclability of merchandise. Which implies the an identical authorized pointers could also be utilized proper right here effectively inside the US.
how can I help enact epr authorized pointers in my state?
You can help encourage your state to cross epr authorized pointers similar to the one in Maine.
The Pure Property Council of Mainehas created a bunch of sources along with a toolkit to help totally different states advance this environment friendly decision for addressing wasteful packaging and plastic air air pollution!
You will need to strive their EPR for Packaging Advocacy Property. You’ll uncover tutorial presentation samples, informational handouts, sample sign on letters, petitions, and so much additional.
To get started, The Pure Property Council of Maine recommends you have gotten:
- Lead organizers: These people ship and preserve allies collectively, are an data and messaging hub, and preserve key players up to date and on exercise.
- Champion lawmakers: These are the representatives who you will be working with to cross the laws domestically, so get to know them and present to them.
- A varied stakeholder coalition: Coalitions are short-term alliances of stakeholders whereby they share risks, costs, benefits and duties of a problem or implementation. Coalitions create helpful choices and stimulate and facilitate info sharing.
- Deliberate messaging & media method: It’s a must to make clear points by info, graphics, lists and maps all through the board clearly, concisely and cohesively.
All of these key players and strategies carried out a job in Maine effectively passing the first EPR laws of the nation. Let’s get totally different states to look at of their footsteps!
Which state do you could see cross an Extended Producer Responsibility laws subsequent? Inform us inside the suggestions!