Insights
Plastic Packaging Waste Management: A Case in Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility Policies in Minnesota
By
This policy-analysis article examines the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes for plastic packaging, focusing on U.S. state efforts (particularly Minnesota) and drawing lessons from the European Union experience. It outlines policy design options, producer obligations and infrastructure
Meyersohn (2024) addresses the gap between the rapid growth of plastic packaging globally and the relatively low recycling and recovery rates—plastic packaging makes up about 40 % of all plastic material produced worldwide yet accounts for less than 10 % of recycled material.
The article frames extended producer responsibility (EPR) as a pivotal policy tool: it shifts the end-of-life cost and responsibility from municipalities and consumers to producers (brand-owners, importers, packaging manufacturers), thereby realigning incentives for design for recyclability, collection infrastructure investment and reporting transparency.
The paper contrasts the EU’s long-standing packaging and packaging-waste directives with evolving U.S. state-level legislation, noting that in Minnesota (via the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act) the state legislature is exploring a framework requiring producers to support reuse, recycling and composting infrastructure. The article outlines several policy design dimensions: scope (which packaging types and sectors are covered), fee-modulation (linking producer fees to recyclability or recycled content), transparency and data-reporting requirements, and governance (whether a producer responsibility organisation or third-party administrator is used).
Challenges identified include: ensuring accurate data collection and reporting, aligning infrastructure capacity with producer obligations, avoiding cost burdens on small businesses, harmonising multi-state frameworks, and integrating design-for-environment into packaging development.
The author recommends that EPR schemes incorporate strong eco-modulated fees (incentives for recyclable/reusable packaging), promote standardised data systems, support growth of collection and sorting infrastructure, and ensure that producers engage early in packaging design and supply-chain decisions.This article serves as a clear overview of how EPR policy is evolving in the U.S. and what producers must prepare for—in particular, data tracking of packaging material flows, designing for end-of-life, and aligning supply-chain decisions with producer obligations.
URL: https://www.sciencepolicyjournal.org/article_1038126_jspg240110.html