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Will EPR actually increase recycling?

Clearly, the U.S. packaging industry has entered the extended producer responsibility era. What remains unclear to some people is the end goal.

One EPR ambition is to increase recycling rates, several speakers and attendees noted during The Packaging Conference in Austin, Texas, from Feb. 9-11. But when audience members asked speakers whether they thought EPR would actually boost recycling rates, they were generally met with skeptical responses.

“Off the record?” joked Laura Stewart, executive director at the National Association for PET Container Resources, while muttering “No” and shaking her head amid audience laughter. 

“EPR is great for producers, but I don’t know that it motivates the average human to actually recycle,” said Steve Lyons, vice president for strategic environmental analysis at PET packaging consulting firm SBA-CCI, pointing to deposit programs as a better incentive. “I think [EPR] will create more access points, which is good for recycling, but you have to motivate humans.”

Will EPR actually increase recycling? | Packaging Dive

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