Earlier this year, Washington became the seventh state in the US to pass an Extended Producer Responsibility Bill for packaging. The bill, SB 5284—The Recycling Reform Act—was supported by Upstream and civic and elected partners around Washington state, and includes something rarely featured in EPR bills: best practices for reuse.  

In this episode, host Brooking Gatewood digs in with WA State Representative Liz Berry and McKenna Morrigan of the city of Seattle on how this bill got passed, what it means for recycling and reuse systems incentives in Washington State, and what other states can learn from it to start standardizing EPR and normalizing reuse requirements. 

Resources: 

• WA EPR bill 
• Minnesota EPR bill 
• Seven Laws in, How is Reuse Faring in US Packaging EPR?
• The State of EPR Policy in the US
• Embracing Reuse in U.S. Packaging EPR Programs

Get involved:

• Join the Reuse Solutions Network
• Support Upstream to make sure these stories continue to be heard and the reuse economy continues to grow — thank you!