Bill > H750

This bill aims to create a Sustainable Packaging Advisory Board to oversee a producer responsibility program for packaging and printed paper in the Commonwealth. The key provisions include: 1. Establishing the Sustainable Packaging Advisory Board to advise the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and producers on the required plans and regulations. 2. Requiring producers (with some exceptions for small producers) to have an approved plan or join a producer responsibility organization to arrange for and finance the collection and recycling of post-consumer packaging. 3. Allowing the Sustainable Packaging Advisory Board to develop a program to fund the requirements, including a fee schedule for producers based on factors like recyclability and environmental impact. 4. Creating a Sustainable Packaging Trust to be used for reimbursing municipalities for their recycling costs, as well as funding the operation of the program. 5. Mandating municipalities to submit reports on their recycling tonnage and costs, and entitling them to reimbursements based on their recycling contamination rate. 6. Authorizing the DEP to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the bill's provisions and enforce compliance. Overall, the bill aims to shift the responsibility and costs of managing packaging and printed paper waste from municipalities to producers, with the goal of increasing recycling rates and reducing recycling costs for the Commonwealth.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H750