Opposition is beginning to mount against a pair of bills impacting commercial packaging and the recycling process as a hearing nears in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment. Extended Producer Liability and tougher packaging requirements are the subjects to be discussed.

Alison Keane is the President and CEO of Flexible Packaging Association, which represents flexible packaging manufacturers and suppliers to the industry, representing $33.6 billion in annual sales.

According to Keane, SB 581, introduced by Senator Michael Dembrow, (D-Portland) "would institute new Oregon labeling requirements for recyclability of packaging and ban the use of ASTM labeling for resin codes. This would result in Oregon specific requirements, which is unworkable given the fact that products are not manufactured and sold into Oregon only, and in most cases are sold nationally and internationally."

SB 582 would set up an Extended Producer Responsibility program -- similar to existing ones for automobile batteries, tires and other difficult to dispose items. The proposed program is, according to Keane, "not only for consumer products, but for commercial and industrial products as well, if far too broad and complex and because of this, difficult to even determine implementation requirements, responsibilities and timelines."

What appears to be a "gut-and-stuff" amendment -- intended to replace the whole bill -- to SB 582 has been proposed. Among other things, it says, “‘Equity’ means the effort to provide different levels of support based on an individual’s or group’s needs in order to achieve fairness in outcomes and the acknowledgment that not all people and communities are starting from the same place due to historic and current systems of oppression. Equity requires the redistribution of resources, power and opportunity to communities most impacted by systemic oppression.” It's not clear if there is enough support for this amendment to be adopted.

Both bills are scheduled for public testimony at 1:00 on Tuesday in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-21 18:39:37

Last Update: 2021-02-21 20:45:08