Colorado presses ahead with packaging EPR

The US state of Colorado is preparing to introduce a producer responsibility programme for packaging in 2026, shifting the cost of recycling from residents and local authorities to the companies that produce the packaging.

According to Suzanne Jones, executive director of the nonprofit recycler Eco-Cycle, Colorado is only the second state requiring consumer packaging producers to charge themselves a fee based on volume and to use the money to reimburse communities for their recycling efforts. The programme is projected to more than double the state’s recycling rate for packaging and paper from 25% to 58% by 2035.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) reportedly rejected a call from the American Chemistry Council trade group to give plastics producers more credit for investing in chemical recycling. 

‘Countless partners’

‘This plan reflects the work of countless partners across the full recycling system, from the companies designing packaging to the facilities turning recycled materials into new products,’ says Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of CDPHE.

‘By expanding convenient recycling access, encouraging smarter packaging, and strengthening in-state end markets, Colorado is building a system that works better for communities, businesses, and our environment.’

The programme will be run by CDPHE and the Circular Action Alliance, whose membership includes Pepsi, Coors, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Amazon and Ikea.

‘This approval marks a significant milestone in the state’s transition to a 100% producer-funded, statewide system for recycling packaging and paper products,’ the alliance was quoted as saying in The Colorado Sun online newspaper.

Benefits

Many Coloradans, especially those in multi-unit housing or rural areas – currently lack access to recycling. The plan is projected to bring no-cost recycling to an estimated 700,000 more households.

Policy makers expect to see significant benefits, including:

• US$31 million [EUR 26 million] in additional annual wages
• approximately 7 900 new direct and indirect green jobs
• avoidance of 1.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually
• landfill waste cut by 410 000 tonnes annually