Recycling Reinvented, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 聽created to help increase recycling rates in the U.S. through extended producer 聽responsibility (EPR) for packaging and printed paper, is expanding its mission. In the last two years, Recycling Reinvented has worked to 聽introduce legislation in several states and commission a cost-benefit study for 聽Minnesota to show how EPR could increasing recycling rates and find cost 聽efficiencies on a statewide level. Its two staff of Paul Gardner and Melissa 聽Walsh Innes, former legislators in Minnesota and Maine, respectively, and its 聽board have reached out to hundreds of stakeholders nationwide from the public, 聽private, and nonprofit sectors. 鈥淎t the beginning of the decade, no one thought too 聽seriously about EPR for packaging,鈥� says Gardner, Recycling Reinvented鈥檚 聽Executive Director. 鈥淭oday, everyone is talking about it. While not all 聽stakeholders support EPR, everyone agrees that recycling rates need to go up. With 聽that in mind, Recycling Reinvented is going to expand its policy focus beyond just 聽EPR to other supportive policy areas.鈥�
The push for EPR has moved many consumer brands, their 聽suppliers, and trade associations to look at other ways to support recycling. 聽Those efforts include the Closed Loop Fund (created by Walmart) and The 聽Recycling Partnership operated by the Curbside Value Partnership. Both 聽initiatives involve significant financial commitments to optimize recycling and 聽have plans to achieve measurable results. However, it is also clear that supportive 聽policy changes at the state level will be necessary to create change at a 聽larger scale. These policies can include, but are not limited to, unit-based 聽pricing for solid waste (often called pay-as-you-throw), disposal bans on 聽recyclables, recycling service provision requirements, as well as commitment to 聽funding local government needs for education and enforcement.
Recycling Reinvented has heard from companies that they鈥檙e willing 聽to support other policy ideas to increase quality collection and processing of 聽recyclables. 鈥淎dvocating for policy or government funding is not something that 聽comes naturally to the private sector because of fears about the messiness of 聽the policy-making process,鈥� says Gardner. 鈥淩ecycling Reinvented has the skills 聽to work with companies through the advocacy process to get policy passed that 聽supports recycling.鈥�
鈥淩ecycling Reinvented has built a network of the 聽right contacts at state agencies and state legislatures during the last two 聽years,鈥� says Deputy Director Melissa Walsh Innes. 鈥淲ith the right coalition, we 聽could see some big results during legislative sessions starting in 2015.鈥�
For more information, visit .