Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a regulatory framework that makes manufacturers, brand owners, and importers financially responsible for the collection, recycling, and disposal of their packaging after consumer use. Producers must register with regulatory agencies or Producer Responsibility Organizations, report detailed packaging data, and pay fees based on the type and volume of packaging they place on the market. In the United States, EPR laws are now active in California, Oregon, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington, with additional states, including New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut, advancing legislation.
Packgine automates the entire EPR workflow from a single dashboard, replacing spreadsheets and manual tracking with real-time compliance management.
By Kevin Kai Wong, Managing Partner, gCurv Technologies
Seven states have enacted packaging EPR: California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Every cell below is taken from the linked state page or the compliance calendar. Cells with no published value read "Not yet set" or "TBD by rulemaking" rather than carrying an estimate. New Jersey and New York have bills pending and are excluded.
| State | Statute | Producer registration deadline | First report due | PRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | SB 54 (PRC 42061.5) | Annual registration confirmation with CAA, March 1, 2026 | TBD: CAA issues first fee invoices January 2027, first PPMF payment due March 1, 2027 | Circular Action Alliance |
| Colorado | HB 22-1355 | Registration via CAA; 2026 dues period opened January 2026 | May 31, 2026 | Circular Action Alliance |
| Maine | LD 1541 | Not yet open: stewardship organization RFP closed August 20, 2026 with no proposals submitted | Not yet set | Not yet contracted |
| Maryland | SB 901 | May 31, 2026 (passed) | May 31, 2026 (simplified reporting) | Circular Action Alliance |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. § 115A.1448 | July 1, 2025: producers must be a member of a registered PRO (§ 115A.1448(a)) | TBD by rulemaking | Registered PRO under § 115A.1448 |
| Oregon | SB 582 (Recycling Modernization Act) | PRO membership required; PRO membership fees began July 2025 | May 31, 2026 (annual reporting) | Circular Action Alliance |
| Washington | E2SSB 5284 (RCW 70A.208) | July 1, 2026 (passed) | TBD: needs assessment, program plan and full implementation expected 2028 to 2030 | Circular Action Alliance (only registered PRO) |
EU obligations run through one regulation applied across 27 member states, with fees set nationally. Compare published national rates in the EU PRO fee schedule.
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Key dates | Obligation | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 | Applicable August 12, 2026; Art. 12(9) digital EPR marking February 12, 2027; Annex V single-use plastic bans January 1, 2030 | National EPR registration, reporting and fees in each member state, plus PPWR design, marking and recycled-content duties | National PRO per member state |
| United Kingdom | Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 | Annual data submission April 2026, repeating each year | Registration for businesses handling more than 25 tonnes of packaging and with turnover above £1 million; nation-level data and base fees per tonne | PackUK scheme administrator |
| United Kingdom | Plastic Packaging Tax | Quarterly returns | £217.85 per tonne on plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled content | HMRC |
Background on how these programs fit together: what Extended Producer Responsibility means for packaging teams.
The first wave of state laws is already collecting data. California SB 54 requirements set the most demanding source reduction and recycled content targets in the country, while Oregon packaging EPR reached live producer reporting first and Colorado's Circular Action Alliance program shows how a single statewide PRO administers registration, fees, and annual reports.
A second group is mid phase-in. Maine LD 1541 producer obligations were the earliest enacted but arrive at reporting later than the laws that followed, Minnesota's packaging EPR rollout stages obligations across several years, and CAA is Maryland's approved PRO. Washington producers have been required to be CAA members since 1 July 2026.
Two states are still legislating. New Jersey's proposed EPR bill and New York packaging reduction legislation both borrow heavily from enacted laws, so producers who build a compliant dataset now will have little extra work when either passes. For a view of what this looks like in practice, see how compliance teams handle multi-state reporting across several jurisdictions at once.
Companies selling into Europe also need to understand how US EPR differs from the EU PPWR, where obligations are set by one regulation applied across 27 member states rather than by nine separate statutes. If you already know which states apply to you, see how Packgine tiers are scoped by SKU count and jurisdiction before you request a quote.
European fees work differently from US state programs: rates are published per tonne by material by each national PRO, and you can compare them in the EU PRO fee rate table by member state and material.
Monitor producer registration status across all obligated jurisdictions with automated alerts for new requirements.
Automated fee computation using current rate schedules with eco-modulation factors applied per jurisdiction.
Pre-formatted compliance reports matching each PRO and regulatory agency's submission requirements.
Proactive notifications weeks before registration, reporting, and payment deadlines across all jurisdictions.
Maintain audit-ready records with version-controlled packaging data and complete submission histories.
EPR registration requires identifying whether your company is a covered producer under each jurisdiction's law, then registering with the relevant Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) or state agency. Packgine tracks your registration status across all jurisdictions and alerts you when new obligations arise.
EPR reports require packaging material type, weight per SKU, total units sold by state, and recyclability classification. Packgine pulls this data from your connected sales and product systems and maps it to each jurisdiction's reporting template automatically.
Fees are calculated by multiplying the weight of packaging placed on the market in each jurisdiction by the applicable fee rate for that material type, then applying eco-modulation adjustments. Three of the seven enacted states have a published producer fee schedule: Oregon, Colorado and California. Packgine tracks these and updates when they are revised. California's 2027 per material schedule is still in draft.
Missing registration or reporting deadlines can result in penalties ranging from warning letters to daily fines. California's SB 54 allows CalRecycle to seek penalties of up to $50,000 per day for violations. Packgine sends deadline alerts weeks in advance to prevent missed filings.
Yes. Packgine manages simultaneous registration, reporting, and fee calculation across all active US EPR jurisdictions from a single dashboard. Adding a new jurisdiction requires no additional setup — Packgine applies current rules automatically when a new state goes active.
Most customers complete onboarding within two weeks. Packgine's integrations with Shopify, Amazon, and major ERPs allow automated data pull from day one, so your first compliance assessment is ready shortly after connection.
Packgine integrates with NetSuite, SAP, and other major ERPs via API. Custom integrations are available for enterprise customers. All integrations are configured during onboarding with support from the Packgine implementation team.
Content reviewed by Kevin Kai Wong, Managing Partner at gCurv Technologies
Replace spreadsheets with registration and deadline tracking, automated fee calculation, and audit-ready reporting.