Podcast - Hot Topics in Nuclear Waste
There is consternation among some industries that extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for packaging in the United States include business-to-business (B2B) packaging – and thus may compromise the specialized reuse...more
Colorado’s comprehensive extended producer responsibility (EPR) program reporting deadline is fast approaching. Producers (including brand owners, manufacturers, importers and retailers) of packaging and paper products are...more
Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation, also known as EPR laws, is a policy-based approach that holds producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, particularly for take-back, recycling, and final...more
The "Decree granting tax benefits in the Circular Economy Development Poles for Well-Being" in Mexico was published on July 4, 2025. This decree will grant tax benefits to companies and developers that invest in the Circular...more
On July 1, the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery (CalRecycle), a California agency tasked with implementing the state’s sustainability laws, released its latest draft of regulations for California...more
The European Commission's new efforts to boost the EU's competitiveness through the Clean Industrial Deal and sweeping regulatory simplification have garnered significant attention. At the same time, circularity remains a...more
Influenced by laws in existence in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington, the New York State Legislature has examined in recent years extended producer...more
The American Biogas Council (“ABC”) released what it characterized as: … new data showing, on a state-by- state basis, the energy production and waste recycling benefits that a full build-out of potential biogas systems...more
Key Takeaways - - Effective January 1, 2026, products must meet far more stringent requirements to be labeled as "compostable" or "home compostable." - Most packaging currently labeled as compostable is not compliant with...more
Maryland and Washington have joined the growing cohort of US jurisdictions that require producers of packaging and paper products to finance – and ultimately improve – the systems for disposing of these “covered materials” in...more
This week Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore signed Senate Bill 901, an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law designed to make “producers” of packaged items and paper products financially responsible for the upgrades to state...more
On May 13, 2025, Maryland became the sixth U.S. state to enact an extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) law for packaging with Governor Moore’s approval of SB 901, passed by the Maryland legislature on April 7, 2025....more
All Wrapped Up is a newsletter that tracks and analyzes key developments in extended producer responsibility laws for packaging. It is a subscription-based resource for King & Spalding clients who sell or distribute just...more
On July 1, 2025, Oregon’s Plastic Pollution & Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) will significantly change the state’s recycling system. The RMA places responsibility on “producers” to fund and manage the recycling process for...more
California recycling claims restrictions - On April 4, 2025, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) published its Final Findings of the SB 343 Material Characterization Study. The report...more
Chemical recycling of plastic is at a turning point in Europe, with several large projects poised to start but still facing regulatory and market challenges. As highlighted in the study recently published by consultants...more
The transition to sustainable energy in the United States is reshaping how we create, store, and use energy – especially electricity – and the landscape is changing rapidly. This shift introduces new waste management...more
Introduction - On December 31, 2024, the Government of Canada published a guide for reporting to the Federal Plastics Registry (Registry). As discussed in our previous bulletin, the Government of Canada established the...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a report titled: An Assessment of the U.S. Recycling System: Financial Estimates to Modernize Material Recovery Infrastructure (“Report”)....more
The National Waste & Recycling Association (“NWRA”) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (“SWANA”) released a January 2025 Policy Statement that is stated to address what is described as the: …critical issue...more
Brazil’s federal government has published Federal Decree No. 12,082/2024, establishing the National Strategy on Circular Economy (NSCE), which aims to facilitate the transition from a linear production model to a circular...more
Americans have been “recycling” since colonial times. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that Americans began viewing recycling ― often provided alongside rubbish removal ― a more formal solution to problems posed by consumer...more
The new requirements under the German Packaging Act (Verpackungsgesetz, VerpackG) present a challenge and an opportunity for companies that have to re-design their operational processes to comply with the new requirements. If...more
On 10 December 2020, the European Commission published a proposal for a new EU Regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries ("Battery Regulation"). The Battery Regulation is part of the European Green Deal and aims to...more
I undertook an Arkansas Environmental Federation webinar held by the organization’s Land and Sustainability Committee on May 20th titled: Solid and Hazardous Waste/Recycling Administrative/Judicial Developments: 2020-2021...more