Oregon Joins Maine as Second State to Pass Packaging EPR Law

Oregon has become the second state to pass a law that requires packaging companies to share responsibility for funding in-state recycling programs, Waste Today magazine reports.

Gov. Kate Brown last week signed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act into effect. The new legislation calls for producers of packaging, paper products and food service ware to join stewardship organizations and pay fees to support recycling programs and infrastructure across the state.

Scott Cassel, CEO and founder of the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), says the law “will also provide producers with the financial incentive to make their packaging more sustainable.”

Last month, Maine became the first state to pass an EPR (extended producer responsibility) law. Packaging companies in that state expressed concern that the law doesn’t make exemptions for recyclable paper products.

Read more at Waste Today magazine.