Minnesota Packaging EPR & Our Waste Reduction Efforts

Today, we joined the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in sharing more about Minnesota’s growing waste crisis and the potential impact of the new Packaging Waste & Cost Reduction Act. This new law, authored by Representative Sydney Jordan and Congresswoman-elect Kelly Morrison, requires producers to reduce packaging and redesign it to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2032.

Growing Waste Crisis

According to the MPCA, two-thirds of Minnesota’s landfill waste could have been reused or recycled. Waste from the Twin Cities is expected to increase approximately 19% by 2042, putting a heavy strain on our landfill system. Preventing waste and recycling or composting when prevention isn’t possible can help solve our trash problem. 

As recyclers, this growing packaging crisis is making this work increasingly difficult. Problematic and unnecessary packaging is trashing our recycling system, driving up costs to our communities, and polluting our environment. Unchecked changes in packaging design, often creates too much non-recyclable materials which flood into our facility, clogging up the system, and causing contamination. 

Opportunity for Change

Fortunately, under the new law, the Agency will be tasked with developing a statewide recyclability list. With this list, there is a real opportunity here to eliminate some of the most problematic and toxic materials by ensuring the list only includes material that can be effectively collected, sorted, and sold to a responsible end market.  

Following a needs assessment, the Agency will also set reduction, recycling, reuse and post-consumer recycled content rates that producers will need to meet. Given the existing infrastructure in our state and the urgent need to reduce our waste, it’s crucial that these rates are ambitious enough to drive meaningful packaging redesign and substantial reduction.  

With strong implementation of the Packaging Reduction Act, producers will be held accountable for their packaging material choices, by expanding access to collection and paying for the cost to collect, recycle, compost, or reuse their products and packaging. 

As a state, we must focus on recycling the right way, not just recycling more. With this new law, Minnesota has a chance to raise the bar for all operations and programs across the country.