A fully producer-funded system to expand recycling for packaging and paper products, ensure accountability for single-use products, and promote reuse in Minnesota, which will build on the state’s existing recycling infrastructure while ensuring sustainable funding to offset the costs of collection, expand end-markets, and shift producers to more reusable and sustainable packaging.
Recycling rates have plateaued at around 40%. We have continued to see more and more packaging that is problematic for the recycling and composting systems. Many single-use disposable items can’t be recycled and residents and businesses need more options for reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives.
What’s the solution? Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and paper products. EPR policies hold producers (mainly consumer brands) responsible for their products and packaging throughout the entire lifecycle – from product design all the way through to reuse, recycling, or safe disposal.
Our EPR system would build on Minnesota’s existing recycling infrastructure to increase recycling. And it would ensure sustainable funding to offset the cost of collection, expand end-markets, and shift producers to more reusable and sustainable packaging – without taxpayer funds.
Testimonials
“Passing an EPR law for printed paper and packaging (PPP) would extend a producer’s financial and managerial responsibility for its products and packaging beyond the manufacturer stage – in both upstream design and downstream to post-consumer reuse, recycling, or safe disposal. Enacting an EPR bill for PPP will reduce waste, reduce taxpayer costs to support the system and help the City meet its waste reduction and climate goals.”
– City of Minneapolis
“We operate a 7 county Material Recovery Facility adjacent to a Resource Recovery Facility in West-Central MN. Our non-traditional front-end MRF recovers additional recyclables out the incoming garbage (cardboard, ferrous and non-ferrous metals). The changing waste composition, partially attributed to manufacturer’s switch to flexible packaging, has increased waste flows with less items available for traditional recycling and recovery (leading to less revenue from recyclables). We support efforts to address manufacturer/producer accountability of targeted (PPP) paper/plastics/packaging products based on current recovery methods and equipment, while equitably shifting cost centers for managing these materials to achieve higher recovery and innovation.“
– Pope Douglas Solid Waste Management
Reduce Packaging Minnesota
The Partnership on Waste and Energy (PWE), a collaborative effort of Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties, collaborated with the Product Stewardship Institute, to develop an EPR bill for packaging and paper products in Minnesota. The policy is being developed to meet the interests of residents, communities and companies and will prevent waste, increase recycling and save local governments millions of dollars.
