Making Companies Pay for Trash They Produce Boosts Recycling, Study Finds
If US states made packaging producers legally responsible for dealing with waste, recycling of the materials could increase by up to 48%, according to the Recycling Partnership.
Garbage at a landfill in Ferris, Texas, in 2016.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/BloombergUS states could increase their recycling rates for printed paper and packaging by almost 50% if they adopted laws making manufacturers bear some responsibility for the afterlife of their products, according to a report released Thursday.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws are common in Asia and Europe but are just getting a foothold in the US. They require companies that make products that pile up in landfills to join or fund organizations that facilitate recycling of those products. In 2021, Maine and Oregon became the first states to pass such laws for paper and plastic packaging. Colorado and California then followed last year.