Tracking recycling laws by state

Follow recent bills about organics recycling, EPR, recycled content, container deposit systems and product bans.

The most recent update to this tracker is New Hampshire’s governor signing a bill banning certain lithium-ion batteries from disposal. Illinois’ governor also recently signed a bill requiring large event facilities to recycle and collect organics generated from events.

State legislatures have kicked into high gear in recent years to introduce and pass numerous bills aimed at improving recycling, reducing plastic waste, promoting circular economy initiatives and more.

To date, states have been more nimble than Congress in enacting legislation, and this could change the way communities — and eventually the country — manage waste and recycling. Some of the most notable state-level actions in 2023 included new laws around container deposit systems, extended producer responsibility, right-to-repair, plastic item bans and organics. Multiple states are working to pass similar bills in 2024 .

Bills are listed below based on the date t hey were signed into law or the latest voting action . This list may expand in the future to cover additional types of bills. Have an update on a bill? Email waste.dive.editors@industrydive.com .

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• State
• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Vermont
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

• Policy
• Biogas
• Bottle bill
• Bottle Bill
• Chemical recycling
• Electronics
• EPR
• Market development
• Organics
• Product Ban
• Recycled Content
• Recycling
• Right-to-repair

• Material
• aluminum
• Aluminum
• Batteries
• Biogas
• Carpet
• Compost
• E-scrap
• Electronics
• Glass
• glass
• Lightbulbs
• Mattresses
• Organics
• packaging
• Paint
• Paper
• paper
• Plastic
• Tires

• Status
• Passed Assembly
• Passed House
• Passed Senate
• Sent to Governor
• Signed by governor
• Signed into law
• Vetoed by governor

Gov. Chris Sununu signed a waste industry-backed law to limit the disposal of electronic material.

Effective July 1, 2025, the state will prohibit the disposal of lithium-ion batteries as well as a range of other electronic devices. This includes wireless telephones, printers, copiers, fax machines and a range of computer accessories. The law requires operators of waste and recycling facilities to post information about the ban, and will also spur educational materials for state residents.

New Hampshire already banned the disposal of certain batteries and electronics, but legislators sought to go further due in part to concerns about fires at waste facilities. The National Waste & Recycling Association’s regional chapter was a supporter of the bill.

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, large event facilities will be required to participate in their county recycling program and compost organic materials generated during events. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law on Aug. 9.

The law, meant to address large amounts of waste generated at major events, will apply to facilities with a legal occupancy of at least 3,500 people. Facilities will need to collect recyclable materials such as glass, aluminum cans, cardboard, paper and “plastic beverage cups or bottles,” according to the bill. The bill includes facilities such as convention centers and sports stadiums but does not include school stadiums, county fairs or hotels, according to the bill.

Facilities that don’t comply will face fines up to $1,500 for the first offense and $2,500 for subsequent offenses.

Previously, large event facilities were not required to recycle or compost material.

“This law will maintain Illinois’ standing as a leader in environmental policy,” said state senator Karina Villa, who sponsored the bill, in a statement .

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law creating an extended producer responsibility program for batteries. The bill applies to small-to-medium-sized portable batteries, including lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries.

The Portable Battery Stewardship Act calls for those who sell or distribute certain types of batteries to join a stewardship organization designed to fund battery management programs. That stewardship organization will need to pay the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency $100,000 a year to fund that program, according to the bill.

“As the world relies more on technology, we need to take proactive steps to ensure we are responsibly disposing of the harmful chemicals contained in batteries,” said bill sponsor state Sen. Dave Koehler in a statement . “This law ensures Illinois stays one step ahead when it comes to technology and reducing waste.”

Sellers and distributors must have a small- to medium-sized battery recycling program in place by 2026, which includes a plan for electric bike and scooter batteries. The program also requires new battery collection points to be established throughout the state by the end of 2028. By 2029, batteries will need to include proper labeling to ensure collection and recycling.

The bill received widespread support from haulers and recyclers, including GFL Environmental, Homewood Disposal Service, LRS, Republic Services, Waste Connections and WM, as well as the National Waste & Recycling Association’s state chapter . The Product Stewardship Institute, Illinois Environmental Council, Illinois Product Stewardship Council and Illinois Recycling Association & Foundation also supported the bill, along with a list of local government and environmental agencies.

Massachusetts’ Senate has approved a bill that would expand the state’s bottle bill, one of the oldest in the country.

The bill would increase deposits from five to 10 cents and include all beverages except milk, formula and medicines. It would add containers up to 3.79 liters, but exclude cartons, pouches and aseptic cartons.

Redemption centers would receive a handling fee of 4 cents, up from 3.75 cents, while retailers would get 3.25 cents, up from 2.75 cents. It would exempt retailers from taking back containers if their location is less than 2,000 square feet.

The state’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs would be able to review handling fees at least every three years and decide whether or not to increase them, as well as decide if the state has enough places to return containers.

It also calls for a study of return and refill systems in Massachusetts, among other updates.

The bottle bill update was included as part of a larger climate bill that includes numerous proposals meant to speed up permitting for solar, wind, and other “clean energy” infrastructure, as well as phasing out a natural gas infrastructure replacement program.

The bottle bill aspect builds off previously introduced bills calling for modernizing Massachusetts’ bottle bill. State Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem, who led the amendment adding the bottle bill provision in the climate bill, also sponsored a similar bottle bill expansion in the Senate prior to its inclusion in the climate bill.

Supporters of the version included in the climate bill include MASSPIRG and Just Zero.The Conservation Law Foundation and MassRecycle have also been generally supportive of updating the bottle bill.

Vermont governor Phil Scott signed S. 254 , a bill that expands the state’s 2014 battery extended producer responsibility law to now include rechargeable batteries, battery-containing devices that are easily removable and some medium format primary batteries. Vermont’s existing program covers household batteries.

The law also calls for including larger formats between 4.4 and 25 pounds, such as those found in electric bikes, starting in January 2026. Medical device batteries are not included in the EPR program.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will also be required to conduct a feasibility assessment on creating end-of-life management programs for other kinds of batteries, such as electric vehicle batteries, battery energy storage systems and batteries that are not easily removable from products. The study is due by July 1, 2026.

The Product Stewardship Institute says the bill was based on practices from its battery EPR policy model. PSI, along with the Vermont Product Stewardship Council and some battery manufacturers and recyclers, supported the bill .

Vermont was the first state with a household battery law, which passed in 2014. California, Washington state and Washington, D.C. also have similar programs.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed HB 1121 , a bill that expands the state’s right-to-repair statute to include most kinds of consumer electronics. Such measures are seen as a way to help reduce e-waste.

“Protecting our right to repair our own broken equipment will save money, strengthen small businesses, and reduce technology waste. Today we are building on our work to protect Coloradans' right to repair to ensure manufacturers cannot force Coloradans to pay extreme repair costs,” Polis said in a statement accompanying his signature.

The law also bans parts pairing, a practice that ensures electronics can only operate with manufacturer-approved parts or software. It also bans practices that prevent independent repair providers from “installing or enabling an otherwise functional replacement part” or display “misleading alerts or warnings about unidentified parts.” Oregon’s right-to-repair law, signed in March 2024, also has a provision banning parts pairing.

Colorado’s law also adds exemptions for certain kinds of electronic equipment, such as motor vehicle and aviation equipment, fire alarm systems, medical devices other than powered wheelchairs, and some kinds of construction and energy-related equipment.

Colorado already has right-to-repair laws for powered wheelchairs and agricultural equipment. The right-to-repair expansion would apply to digital electronic equipment manufactured and sold or used in the state after Jan. 1, 2021.

Supporters included COPIRG and iFixit, who also support right-to-repair bills in other states. The Federal Trade Commission also testified in support of the expansion during a committee hearing in February. Opponents, such as the Repair Done Right Coalition, said the bill could create conditions for unsafe repairs and data security risks.

Minnesota is now the fifth state in the U.S. to approve a law establishing an extended producer responsibility program for packaging. Gov. Tim Walz signed the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act as part of a larger Environment and Natural Resources Budget and Policy bill on May 21.

The shared responsibility model calls for producers to pay half of recycling costs starting in 2029 and ramp up their share of costs incrementally. By 2031, producers will pay at least 90%.

The law does not specify performance targets, but a future needs assessment would inform possible targets around recycling, composting, waste reduction, reuse and return rates, and postconsumer recycled content.

The law also calls for the creation of a curbside recyclability list as well as a list of material that can be recycled through alternative methods. These lists will be determined from the results of the needs assessment and public feedback. Materials that aren’t on these lists cannot be sold into the state after 2032, according to the law.

The bill also notes that if the Minnesota legislature enacts a bottle return system in the future, “it will be harmonized with this act” and ensure “waste reduction and reuse strategies are prioritized between the two programs.”

Notable supporters of the bill include Eureka Recycling and the Minnesota Zero Waste Coalition, which say Minnesota’s EPR law will help reduce “problematic and unnecessary” packaging and improve recycling systems in the state. Other supporters include The Recycling Partnership, Ameripen, the Flexible Packaging Association and the Consumer Brands Association. The American Forest & Paper Association called for a veto of the bill.

The Minnesota chapter of the National Waste & Recycling Association said it had been “100% opposed” to previous versions of the bill, but noted that major provisions were reworked to protect key parts of the state’s recycling industry.

Changes allow haulers and recycling facilities to retain the ability to contract directly with local government and residential customers. The law also allows recycling companies to charge a fee above the reimbursement from the PRO. In addition, the chapter applauded a change that now prevents the needs assessment process from disclosing proprietary information such as tip fees.

Colorado governor vetoes bill that would have banned state incentives for chemical recycling projects

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill meant to ban state incentives for most MSW incinerators and chemical recycling facility projects “that target plastic as a feedstock.” The bill clarified that any future chemical recycling plants would have to follow the same state and local regulations as solid waste incinerators. The bill also stated that such combustion units would not be considered recycling or “clean energy.” There are currently no MSW incinerators or chemical recycling facilities operating in the state.

In his veto letter, Polis said it was “inappropriate to prohibit a specific technology in statute across all state incentive programs” and pointed out that it could have halted “promising pathways” for developing alternative fuel technologies. Polis acknowledged bill supporters’ intent to disincentivize industries likely to cause air and water pollution, but “it is not appropriate to speculatively disincentivize critical pathways that could be important to Colorado’s efforts on climate action.”

“This veto is a huge disappointment,” said Peter Blair, policy and advocacy director for Just Zero, in a statement. “If Colorado truly wants to address climate change and plastic pollution, it needs to move forward with real solutions that don’t include burning trash and investing in myths created by the fossil fuel industry.”

The bill had undergone numerous changes before making its way to Polis’s desk. The original text called for an outright ban on the construction and operation of MSW incinerators and most chemical recycling facilities within the state. Other changes allowed exemptions for university research and offered ways for certain businesses to prove their technologies meet Colorado’s pollution standards, which are changes that ultimately helped the bill pass, according to Colorado Public Radio .

Eco-Cycle was among the groups that spearheaded the original bill. The nonprofit recycler says blocking incineration and chemical recycling is an environmental justice concern because such facilities are more likely to operate in neighborhoods already overburdened with other pollution sources.

State Sen. Lisa Cutter, a bill sponsor, said in a statement earlier this year that the legislation aimed to block the potential for “incineration and plastics-to-fuel” facilities to pollute the air. “At a time when our air pollution is at dangerously high levels, we must do everything we can to protect our air quality,” she said.

Upstate Colorado Economic Development previously said the bill could make it harder to bring new business to the state, CPR reported.

The bill would expand the state’s existing organics recycling and edible food recovery requirements for large generators. A current law requires certain businesses and institutions — those that generate about two tons of food waste per week — to donate any edible food and recycle the rest. If passed, the bill would update that requirement to one ton per week starting in January 2026, and half a ton per week starting in January 2028.

Current law only requires that these businesses recycle food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler, but the updated bill would remove that distance exemption. New York City is exempt from all aspects of the current and proposed law because it has local commercial organics recycling requirements.

Bill sponsors say the expansion would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste.

The bill has passed the Senate and Assembly and must go through final steps before heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.

Supporters include Earthjustice, which said nearly 99% of large generators outside the city would be covered if the bill becomes law. The New York League of Conservation of Voters also supports the bill . The National Waste & Recycling Association’s state chapter has not taken an official position.

Gov. Jay Inslee just signed HB 1185, a bill that extends the state's fluorescent bulb stewardship program through 2035 and bans the sale of most mercury-containing fluorescent lights in the state by Jan. 1, 2029.

The law extends the statewide fluorescent bulb takeback and recycling program, known as LightRecycle. The program requires manufacturers to manage the bulbs at end-of-life, including by financing safe collection options, as well as recycling or disposal outlets. That program was originally meant to sunset in 2025, but will now end in 2035, according to the bill.

If the program had ended, residents would have lost access to “a consistent, convenient, and safe way to return unwanted mercury-containing lights, which will remain in use for years as existing inventory winds down, even as the lighting industry has moved away from most mercury-containing lights,” according to the bill text . Banning mercury-containing bulbs further protects residents from toxic material, bill sponsors said.

Supporters of the bill included several Washington county solid waste districts, Seattle Public Utilities, and Zero Waste Washington.