On February 2, 2022, Associate Policy Director D’Paul Nibber testified before the House Environment and Transportation and Economic Matters Committees in support of HB 307 – Environment – Packaging Materials – Producer Responsibility. This bill shifts the cost to recycle product packaging from taxpayers to producers, freeing up already constrained county resources.

From the MACo testimony: 

HB 307 outlines a framework for an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model that
would place responsibility on packaging producers for end-of-life management. Industry
members would form one or more producer responsibility organizations that would collect payments from producers based on the recyclability of product packaging. Local governments would be eligible to apply for and receive reimbursements for the work they are already doing, including labor costs, collecting, transporting, and processing covered materials. Counties would then be able to invest any new funds back into their networks to help ease the burden on taxpayers. HB 307 would also encourage producers to make packaging that is more easily recyclable and more environmentally friendly.

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