Page 51 - Plastics News June 2024

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A familiar framework, but no legislated
target rates

The EPR program proposed in the
budget has several elements now fa-
miliar in the U.S. EPR landscape: a
needs assessment, a producer respon-
sibility organization, eco-modulation
and target reduction, reuse and recy-
cling goals.
Notable exemptions from the covered
material list include paper products
used for a newspaper or magazine
print publications and covered materi-
als that a producer distributes to an-
other producer.
If enacted, the bill would require pro-
ducers to choose a producer respon-
are a major step forward in dealing posting infrastructure.” sibility organization by Jan. 1, 2025.
with solid waste by ensuring that pack- “Minnesota’s packaging producer re- The PRO would then have to submit a
aging producers are responsible for sponsibility legislation is a fair com- stewardship plan by Oct. 1, 2028. The
the waste they create and are incentiv- promise that establishes a model of bill allows for multiple PROs after the
ized to increase recycled content.” first PRO plan expires.
shared responsibility and is aligned
State Rep. Sydney Jordan, sponsor with Ameripen’s key principles,” said A Producer Responsibility Advisory
of the original Packaging Waste and Dan Felton, executive director. “This Board would also be established under
Cost Reduction Act, said in the press legislation supports a system that is the bill, which would have to hold its
release that “across Minnesota, we are reliable, efficient and effective.” first meeting by March 1, 2025.
inundated with packaging, from our The American Forest and Paper As-
doorsteps to store shelves.” The needs assessments, which would
sociation opposed the bill, as it has be due by the end of 2025, would
“Packaging waste and printed paper opposed EPR in other states, due to cover existing reduction, reuse, re-
now account for 40% of our garbage,” the potential for paper to subsidize the cycling and composting capacity for
said Jordan, who is also vice chair of cost of recycling plastic. AF&PA mem- each covered material; proposals for
the Environment and Natural Resourc- bers own two MRFs in Minnesota, a five-year target goals for those areas;
es Finance and Policy Committee. “The press release noted. estimations of how much post con-
burden of managing this ever-growing Dylan de Thomas, vice president of sumer recycled content is currently
deluge of packaging waste currently public policy and government affairs used; proposed metrics to measure
falls on local governments – and tax- team at The Recycling Partnership, progress in achieving the target goals;
payers. Today’s bill takes steps to en- worked on the ground in Minnesota evaluations of investments needed to
sure the producers of this waste are to support the bill. He told Resource increase rates; end market research;
paying their fair share.” Recycling that the bill is “the fruit of current contamination levels; and an
Ameripen, an industry group repre- many, many months of hard negotia- assessment of intentionally added tox-
senting packaging producers, an- tions and work.” ic substances.
nounced that it supports the EPR “Really, it’s the fruit of many years of A workplace conditions and equity
language in the bill, calling it “unprec- stakeholder efforts to be able to deliver study and a covered materials pollu-
edented in its unique framework that an EPR bill that works for Minneso- tion and cleanup study are also author-
aligns with Minnesota’s national lead- tans,” de Thomas said. ized in the bill.
ership on strong recycling and com-

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PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS
June 2024