Lori Olinger
Have you ever bought something and then noticed that the pile of packaging that came with it is bigger than the product itself? A lot of that excessive packaging is plastic because it is so cheap to produce.
Since 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels, petrochemical companies profit from plastic production and consumption. Yet the environmental and health costs of plastic use and disuse are borne by frontline communities, consumers, and taxpayers. But that might be changing.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging legislation, which shifts the cost of recycling from taxpayers to the producers, has passed recently in four states. Many others, including Minnesota, are working on similar bills. If done right, this legislation has the potential to reduce waste and make packaging safer.
Rep. Sydney Jordan authored a strong, effective EPR for Packaging bill (HF 4132) last year, and will be reintroducing it again this session. Key points in her bill, which address both residential and commercial waste, include:
- Goals to reduce waste and increase reuse and refill systems
- Standards to make packaging more recyclable
- Bans on toxic chemicals in packaging
- Requirements that companies pay for their packaging waste disposal
- Strong oversight and accountability
- Bans on burning (a.k.a. “chemical recycling” or “advanced recycling”)
The reduction of packaging, especially plastic, is the main goal of EPR. By requiring producers to pay for the disposal of their packaging products, companies are incentivized to reduce packaging waste and to use packaging that is more recyclable.
Currently, less than 6% of plastic is recycled; the rest is buried, burned, or exported to developing countries. Our landfills are full, incineration pollutes our neighborhoods, especially low-income and communities of color, and too much packaging is dumped into the environment.
In addition to endangering the environment, plastic also threatens human health. Plastic is made with toxic chemicals that leach into our food and drinks and into our bodies. Microplastics have been found in human blood, in lung tissue, in breast milk, and even in placentas. Our babies are born pre-polluted with plastic. In other words, the single-use plastic we dispose of today will negatively impact generations to come.
This is why Extended Producer Responsibility is such a critical path forward. To support this important legislation, contact your State Senator and Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the bill. If you have questions, email lori.olinger@northstar.sierraclub.org.
Lori Olinger is the chair of the Zero Waste Team. She is an outdoor lover and enjoys hiking and biking in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota.