Expectations are high for the 2013 legislative session. Campaigns around the country are gearing up to protect recycling infrastructure and to push for more recycling. For more information on these initiatives, contact Resa Dimino.
Beverage Container Recycling
Stakeholders in Oklahoma and Indiana will begin meeting soon to discuss options and recommend legislation for increasing beverage container recycling.
In Iowa and Vermont, recycling advocates will be fighting to retain and expand existing deposit programs, while other forces are expected to push for repeal. And in Massachusetts, advocates are gearing up for yet another expansion campaign.
Campaigns for new deposit legislation are on the horizon in Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, Louisiana and Texas.
Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Printed Products
2012 saw much debate on, and analysis of, the merits of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging and printed products. Notably, the Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a report critical of EPR for packaging and printed products. It was met with responses from a European expert and from the Minnesota county it cites as an example of success without EPR. The report and the two responses make interesting reading; access them here or on the member pages of the NAPCOR website.
In December 2012, a Special Legislative Commission to Study Producer Responsibility Models for Paper and Packaging was convened in Rhode Island. The Commission's work may lead to legislation in 2013 focused specifically on items common in marine debris, or more broadly on packaging and printed products.
In the coming year, legislation on packaging and printed products could be introduced in several other states as well. Minnesota, home to Recycling Reinvented, will most likely lead the pack, though campaigns may also be launched in Maryland, Delaware, Washington and North Carolina.
California Beverage Container Recycling Program Reform
After years of operating with revenue from unredeemed deposits, the California Beverage Container Recycling Program is facing a structural deficit, projected to be $100 million per year, due to high redemption rates. The state is evaluating program reform options to eliminate the deficit.
Degradable Additives Regulation in North Carolina
Efforts to regulate the use of degradable additives in plastic bottles sold in North Carolina continue apace. At a hearing in October, NAPCOR member ClearPath, HDPE recycler Envision, and fiber manufacturer Unifi made presentations (the first, sixth and ninth in the list) to the legislature's Environmental Review Commission to help them understand the plastic recycling process, the importance of the industry, and the threat posed by the additives. On December 12 and 14, ClearPath and Unifi hosted tours for state legislators and policy makers to bring that message home. Meanwhile, staff at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) are hard at work completing a study, mandated by legislation passed last year, on the impact of degradable additives on the state's plastic recycling industry. The study is expected to set the stage for a legislative proposal to regulate the use of such additives in plastic bottles sold in the state.
FTC Issues 'Green Guides' Revisions
The Federal Trade Commission has published its revised Green Guides for the use of environmental marketing claims. Major revisions address unqualified claims of degradability and acceptable use of terms such as compostable, recyclable, recycled content and source-reduced.
Ernst & Young has produced The three S's of environmental marketing, a helpful summary of the Green Guides with suggestions for compliance. Your claims, the firm says, need to be specific, straightforward and substantiated.
Carolina Plastics Recycling Council Taking Shape
State staffers in the Carolinas have teamed up with recyclers to develop materials for promoting the plastic recycling industry in the two states. A fact sheet on recycling's economic impact, talking points, and model letters and articles are among the tools they've created to help companies communicate the industry's importance to policy makers and the public. NAPCOR members interested in using the tools or getting involved in the Council can contact Resa Dimino.
