Multiple U.S. states have already passed extended producer responsibility for packaging policies and related legislation, and the ramp-up for those laws is ongoing. Now, attention is on rulemaking, implementation and compliance timelines.

There are a lot of dates and developments to keep track of. Look below to learn more about recent updates, and scroll down to see a calendar of projected milestones for the next few years announced by leaders in California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington.

Recent EPR developments

  • Oregon’s packaging EPR program officially kicked off July 1 – the first such milestone for a U.S. state. Circular Action Alliance, the producer responsibility organization helping to facilitate the packaging EPR program in Oregon and some other states, also announced July 1 it submitted an amended program plan in Colorado.

  • As part of California’s packaging EPR law SB 54, CalRecycle published on June 30 a statewide material characterization study measuring the amount of covered materials, including single-use packaging and food service ware, in California landfills.

  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 1423, which updates the state’s packaging EPR law passed in 2021. The legislation clarifies definitions for producers and producer exemptions, postconsumer recycled material, toxicity and more.

  • Governors in Hawai’i and Rhode Island each signed EPR study bills. Hawai’i’s law requires the Department of Health to conduct a recycling needs assessment, due to the legislature by the end of 2027. Rhode Island’s law calls for the Department of Environmental Management to hire a third-party consultant by Oct. 29, 2025, with a report on existing recycling infrastructure and recommendations due by Dec. 1, 2026.

  • Illinois contracted with Eunomia on a needs assessment. A report from the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Advisory Council is due to the legislature by Dec. 1, 2026.

You can sort select deadlines before 2030 by state or date below.

We’ll adjust this list as timelines advance or shift. Do you know of additional deadlines or changes? Please help us stay up to date by sending a message.