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Extended Producer Responsibility: Successes, Failures, and the Future of Oregon Recycling
Summary
This paper reviews Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs — policies that make manufacturers responsible for the end-of-life management of their packaging — and analyzes how Oregon is rolling out the first U.S. statewide packaging EPR program. EPR is a key policy tool for reducing plastic waste at the source, cutting down the volume of plastic that eventually fragments into microplastics. The study recommends a single coordinating body and a gradual reporting timeline to improve the program's chances of success.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a waste management program used globally to improve the recovery, recycling, and management of solid waste materials. There are three types of EPR programs defined by their target materials: electronic and electrical waste (WEEE) EPR, hazardous waste EPR, and packaging EPR. Europe has implemented all three types with relative success. The US has implemented WEEE EPR and hazardous waste EPR and is currently in the process of implementing packaging EPR on a state scale in Oregon, California, Colorado, Maine, and Maryland with 10 more bills being introduced in 2024 alone. Oregon's EPR program will be the first implemented and would benefit from two changes that would benefit producers and ensure a successful rollout across the nation. The first is the use of a single Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) rather than multiple and a timeline extension for a graduated reporting structure.