NAPCOR staff presented a 2014 legislative forecast at the board meeting in Chicago two weeks ago. A voiceover narration of the forecast slides is posted with the meeting documents in the members' pages (log-in required) at www.napcor.com.
Organizers of the campaign to get a bottle bill expansion question on Massachusetts' November 2014 ballot have gathered almost twice as many signatures as they need.
The Maryland deposit bill that stalled in committee earlier this year will be back on legislators' desks in January. It's not yet clear how (or whether) its sponsors will address the concerns, mostly from retailers and local officials, that slowed progress in March.
Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources has issued its
long-awaited report to the state legislature on implementation of Act 148, the groundbreaking Universal Recycling law. Over the last year, NAPCOR has been urging the agency to ensure that its analysis leads to growth in PET recycling, and does not undermine the state's existing, effective deposit/return system. We are pleased that the report does not recommend any changes to the current bottle bill.
A new report from the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA includes a list of the "Top 10 Plastic Marine Litter Prevention Actions." The authors of
Stemming the Tide of Plastic Marine Litter: A Global Action Agenda recommend that more jurisdictions adopt extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for plastic packaging, and deposits for plastic beverage containers, in order to reduce marine pollution.
California's recycling agency, CalRecycle, is asking packaging companies and their suppliers for feedback on the clarity and usefulness of draft compliance forms for the Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) Law. The forms enable companies to self-certify that their packaging conforms to the requirements. (The law requires manufacturers of rigid plastic packaging containers to source-reduce their package or use recycled content; packaging for food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices is excluded.) We encourage NAPCOR members to review the forms and provide comments; contact staff for copies and instructions.
The Federal Trade Commission has taken action to challenge deceptive claims for biodegradable plastics. Targeted companies include producers and users of an additive they claim makes plastic products biodegradable, and other companies that make products such as plastic bags, golf tees, reusable plastic food storage containers and rebar caps.
The Container Recycling Institute recently issued Bottled Up, its report on beverage container recycling trends from 2000 to 2010. The report found that, while the amount of beverage containers sold increased over the study period, recycling rates were flat. PET was the only material that experienced significant growth, nearly doubling the number of units sold. That growth, coupled with the flat recycling rate, meant a substantial increase in the amount of PET containers going to waste--from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tons over the 10-year period. 