Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have put forth legislation focused on reducing plastic waste and bolstering plastics recycling.

The ban in California could have impacts on the sector in other states, because any company importing goods to California would have to comply with its plastic standards. Much like California’s emissions standards tend to cause changes in the automotive industry nationally, such a bill has the potential to shift the plastic landscape more broadly.

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While it’s still early stages, some lawmakers are floating ideas like producer responsibility bills for packaging and European Union-style restrictions on some single-use plastics. But other legislators seem to be steering toward proposals that focus on more traditional goals, like building out government-financed curbside recycling infrastructure.

Senate Bill 54 and Assembly Bill 1080, collectively called the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, are identical companion bills that aim to reduce single-use packaging and product waste in California by 75% by 2030. The two bills were proposed by Sen. Ben Allen, who represents parts of southern and western Los Angeles county, and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who represents southern San Diego.

The Association of Oregon Recycler's Legislative Committee is recruiting new members!

The purpose of the committee, is to discuss materials management-related bills, provide feedback and make recommendations to the AOR Board to support, protest or remain neutral on bills introduced to the Oregon Legislature. The committee is comprised of 11 members and includes haulers, governments, consultants, processors/recyclers, businesses and non-profit representatives. There are currently 5 members of the committee with expired terms and we are seeking applications for the following spots:

It’s been a busy few weeks in Salem as legislators raced to meet the April 9 deadline for committees to hold work sessions on bills and move them out of committee for floor votes or consideration by joint House-Senate committees such as Ways and Means, Revenue or Rules.

Public hearings and work sessions were held on a number of bills of interest to AOR members. This update includes an action alert on a bill that would negatively impact Oregon’s Bottle Bill and updates on other bills of interest.

Legislators will discuss and consider a number of bills of interest to AOR's members. This update includes an overview of legislation that AOR's board will work to support or oppose in the coming weeks after considering recommendations from AOR's legislative committee. 

AOR Support:

Right to repair -- HB 2688 -- Support

Lawmakers in Indiana and Washington are evaluating proposals that would shift end-of-life packaging management responsibilities from municipalities to product producers.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), which promotes extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs nationwide, tied the recent legislative interest directly to current recycling market disruptions.

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New legislation proposed by the Washington state Department of Ecology hopes to address some of those deficiencies in regional recycling and solid waste management. The ultimate goal is to attract more businesses to recycle and use materials in the state, and offer state help for waste managers at the county and city level as they better plan for how to manage the stuff they collect.

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