Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Here in the US, after we buy something, it’s up to us to make sure the packaging ends up in the right recycling bin or trash can.
On top of that--- we pay for that recycling and trash pick-up— through our taxes. Is there another way to share the responsibility for our waste?
Will Malloy and Isha Thakkar from our Possibly team are here to tell us about another option.
Will Malloy: Hi Megan!
Isha Thakkar: Hi!
Megan Hall: So, how are we going to share this responsibility for our trash and recycling?
Will Malloy: Well, there’s an idea out there that the companies that make a product should be responsible for that product for its entire life.
Isha Thakkar: Including after we’re done with it — like making sure products and their packages are properly disposed of and recycled when possible.
Will Malloy: The technical term for this is “extended producer responsibility.”
Megan Hall: Why should my trash be a company’s responsibility?
Will Malloy: We talked to plastic pollution researcher and policy expert Dr. Sherri Mason, to understand this idea. She told us to imagine you’ve bought a bottle of shampoo--
Sherri Mason: You wanted the shampoo, not the bottle that it came in, but you got that bottle, usually plastic, as a consequence of wanting the product.
Will Malloy: Buying the shampoo means you have to buy the bottle, too — so you’re also paying for the cost of producing that bottle and shipping it to the store where you bought it.
Isha Thakkar: And once you’re done with the shampoo…
Sherri Mason: Now you also have to pay to get rid of the bottle? … The recycling infrastructure of the United States … uses taxpayer money. It is taxpayer funded. So we are funding the waste that is associated with the plastics industry.
Will Malloy: She says, one of the problems with this system is that it doesn’t give companies any incentive to cut back on wasteful packaging or make sure products are recycled properly.
Isha Thakkar: They’re not paying for it, so it’s not really their problem.
Megan Hall: I get the idea, but how does that actually work in practice?
Isha Thakkar: Extended producer responsibility is really a policy strategy — and it’s gaining popularity across Europe and in Canada.
Will Malloy: When it comes to packaging, it’s not super widespread here in the United States as of now, But seven states have laws on the books and a number of others are considering legislation in 2026.
Isha Thakkar: These types of laws can work in two different ways.
Will Malloy: One approach is to charge companies fees or fines when they make plastic products.
Isha Thakkar: That money can be used to pay for and expand municipal recycling programs.
Megan Hall: What’s the other way?
Will Malloy: Other laws influence the materials companies can use to make their products--
Isha Thakkar: Maybe they have to use recycled materials, or make sure their materials are recyclable.
Will Malloy: A bill being considered in New York would require producers to gradually reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging they use by 30%.
Megan Hall: Do these laws affect all products?
Isha Thakkar: No…As of now, they focus on things like packaging, paper products, or beverage containers — the kinds of things that can be reasonably made out of 100% recyclable material.
Will Malloy: Sherri says, it makes sense to push companies to make the switch…
Sherri Mason: You shouldn’t have to pay for the disposal of this plastic item that you never really wanted to begin with, and you already paid … And so that should really be on the onus of the corporations that are manufacturing and putting this plastic into your life.
Isha Thakkar: Extended producer responsibility shifts the pressure onto those companies to either cut back on unnecessary waste or pay the price for dealing with that waste once you’re done with it.
Will Malloy: These kinds of laws are definitely complex, but they do work in other countries. And it’s a new way of thinking about how to slow down the flow of plastic in our lives.
Megan Hall: Got it. Thanks for looking into this!
Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Ocean State Media, and WBRU.
