US Senate Considers State-Level EPR Recycling Programs While Mulling Federal Role

The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is weighing the environmental benefits of state-level extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs against their potential to increase the cost of goods for already cash-strapped US shoppers, as it considers a federal framework to improve plastic recycling rates.

In a 6 March hearing, “Examining Extended Producer Responsibility Policies for Consumer Packaging,” committee chair Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., addressed the urgency of the plastic waste problem in the US,...