A new study published by The Recycling Partnership, a non-governmental organization, found that the adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs will result in significant increases in the rate of recycling. The study, "Increasing Recycling Rates with EPR Policy," was published this week.
EPR policies require companies that produce packaging materials to pay fees that fund local recycling programs. This places the financial burden on the manufacturers rather than taxpayers or governments, and it encourages companies to use more recycled content in their packaging.
The Recycling Partnership studied the impact of EPR policies in seven jurisdictions and six U.S. states. The focus was on packaging materials (plastic, glass, aluminum, etc.) and printed paper. According to the findings, "EPR policy drove the collection and recycling of target materials to over 75% in British Columbia, Belgium, Spain, South Korea, and the Netherlands, with Portugal and Quebec at over 60%."
CEO Keefe Harrison remarked, “Lack of sustainable funding is one of the greatest challenges for U.S. residential recycling systems. EPR provides a huge opportunity to unlock the environmental and economic benefits of recycling.”
Several states in the U.S. are considering implementing EPR legislation. Colorado, Maine, Oregon, and California have already done so. An EPR bill was also put forth in Connecticut last year to initiate a stewardship recycling program for some kinds of residential gas cylinders.
According to The Recycling Partnership's study, the implementation of EPR programs in the U.S. would have a significant impact in the following ways:
- Increase overall residential recycling rates by as much as 48 percentage points
- Create nearly universal recycling access
- Increase overall participation in recycling
- Boost the amount of recycled content by millions of tons
- Recapture between $13 million and $91 million in lost material economic value in EPR states