Minnesota has a trash problem. We are generating 5.9 million tons of garbage every year, and this number is expected to grow nearly 20% by 2042. Packaging and plastic waste are an increasing part of the problem:
The delivery economy and e-commerce have driven up packaging and plastic waste.
40% of our waste stream is now packaging and paper.
Plastic production will double in the next twenty years.
Less than half of all this waste gets recycled—the rest is burned or landfilled.
Currently, manufacturers have no incentive to reduce the amount of packaging they use or to avoid hard-to-recycle materials. Our local governments are stuck with the burden of all this trash. We need commonsense policies that reduce the amount of waste and help communities recycle as much as possible. Two ways we can do that are the Packaging Waste & Cost Reduction Act and the Statewide Recycling Refund.
The Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act will cut down our waste stream and make manufacturers responsible for using more recyclable packaging, rather than using outdated single-use plastics and other wasteful materials. To help fund local recycling and waste reduction programs, manufacturers will pay a sliding-scale fee based on how compostable, reusable, or recyclable they make their packaging. By asking manufacturers to do their part, this bill would lead to less waste going into landfills or trash burners like the HERC and increased recycling across Minnesota.
The Packaging Act requires that by 2032, all packaging sold in Minnesota must be reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
Take one minute to contact your state legislators to let them know you support the Packaging Act.