CAA shares updates on innovations, state EPR plans

Extended producer responsibility programs for packaging are largely moving forward, with some innovations in Oregon, representatives from Circular Action Alliance said at a quarterly update.

At the March 18 meeting, Kim Holmes, executive director of the producer responsibility organization in Oregon, said the state is “truly in full swing for implementation,” which comes in July. 

CAA received full approval for its program plan on Feb. 21 and is “very pleased with where the program plan landed,” she added. 

CAA is now working with the 15 communities deemed “Priority A” for funding. Each of them requires some amount of funding to be compliant, with needs ranging from $70,000 to $3.03 million. Overall, a total of more than $16.5 million is slated to go to these communities through 2027. 

In addition, Holmes announced that CAA plans to open a contamination audit center in the state, supporting a centralized material audit program. Samples will be brought in from across the state and sorted. Then CAA will provide specific data back to each jurisdiction on the types of contamination found in their communities, “so they can better educate their residents,” Holmes said. 

The program will create “the most comprehensive dataset on recycling contamination the state has ever had,” she said. CAA has found a space for the contamination audit center and is negotiating the lease. The PRO plans to take possession later in April, Holmes said. 

That kind of project “really exemplifies the type of innovation that CAA is able to bring to the states we will be operating in,” she added. 

Another project is a collaboration with the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, the PRO for Oregon’s deposit return system. CAA and OBRC are working on a service agreement to create PRO-run recycling centers, leaning on OBRC’s existing regional hubs in White City, Redmond, Clackamas, Pendleton and Eugene.

OBRC would provide logistics as well as material collection, transportation and aggregation services for the PRO recycling centers, Holmes said. The service agreement will be finalized late this year. 

Also during the update, CAA Senior Vice President of Communications Larine Urbina noted that the results of a needs assessment for Maryland were recently published and the state advisory council submitted its policy recommendation. In addition, packaging EPR bill SB 901 passed out of the state Senate and is now in the House. 

Urbina added that in California, where EPR program planning experienced a setback by the governor, “we look at this as additional time to really refine the regulations that will help us address critical elements and ensure program success.” 

Looking to Colorado, state CAA Executive Director Juri Freeman noted that the plan was submitted to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment on Feb. 3 and is being reviewed for compliance by the advisory board. 

Lyle Clarke, a technical advisor for CAA implementing the Minnesota program, laid out the program plan timeline. The advisory board was recently appointed, and the preliminary needs assessment is due this year. Registration of obligated producers is due by July 1. 

Clarke noted that if producers had already signed a Producer Participation Agreement with CAA for a different state, they will simply need to declare their obligation for Minnesota in the producer portal starting in May. For those who are newly obligated or have not yet signed an agreement, they will need to go through the entire process, which is already available. 

The full needs assessment is due to be finished in 2026, followed by the finalization of the materials list and draft plan in 2027. Finally, plan approval by the state is expected to come in late 2028. 

In terms of producer registration, Geoff Inch, senior vice president of producer services, said CAA had received 2,315 updated producer registrations so far, and 1,060 producers have signed agreements. 

Of those registered producers, about 93% are obligated in Oregon, 94% in California and 91% in Colorado, he added. A few producers have also submitted covered material usage reports.   

Inch said CAA recently released an optional report preparation workbook, which mirrors the portal screens created in Excel. That will allow producers to see which data is needed and which questions must be answered before sitting down to submit, he said. 

A version of this story appeared in Plastics Recycling Update on Mar. 24.