Product Stewardship

Minnesota lawmakers are rushing to implement the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act. We support and encourage Minnesota lawmakers to complete a needs assessment before considering an EPR program. This would help them reach their goals to improve their recycling system.

Paper and cardboard continue to be some of the most recycled materials in the United States. In 2022, the paper recycling rate was 67.9% and the cardboard recycling rate was 93.6%. Paper recycling is successful because of the millions of people who recycle and the paper industry’s ongoing…

Nearly 68% of paper and more than 93% of cardboard consumed in the United States was recycled in 2022. Paper recycling rates have remained consistently high – meeting or exceeding 63% each year since 2009.

More than two-thirds of the paper used in the U.S. is recycled and used to make new sustainable paper products people use every day. That’s more than 50 million tons of paper. To unpack the paper and cardboard recycling rates further, we turned to AF&PA’s Executive Director of Recovered Fiber…

Are address window envelopes recyclable? Yes! You don’t even have to remove the plastic window. During the repulping process, it gets filtered out.

AF&PA opposes one-size-fits-all policies to address recycling in Massachusetts. Current proposals do not reflect the complexities of the state’s recycling system. We encourage Massachusetts lawmakers to take a more solution-oriented approach and avoid measures that penalize the forest products…

The American Forest & Paper Association is encouraged to see policymakers focus on improving recycling infrastructure. However, we are opposed to rushed, one-size-fits-all policies like S4246A / A5322A that do not reflect the complexities of the state’s recycling system and could impact the…

Cardboard is a highly recyclable material that’s widely accepted for recycling in recycling programs across the U.S. By choosing to recycle cardboard, we can all play a role in creating a more sustainable future. 

New Jersey is the only state in the nation that has banned paper bags. Lawmakers in Trenton can fix this broken law with an amendment to ensure access to paper bags, which are 100% recyclable, as well as reusable and compostable.

What happens when you recycle a milk carton? Cartons are transported to paper mills and recycling plants where they become new products like boxes, toilet paper and even ceiling tiles.

AF&PA is disappointed by the enactment of Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Recycling. Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB22-1355 into law, creating an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program that includes paper and paper-based packaging products.

AF&PA announced 68% of all paper consumed in the United States was recycled in 2021 – a rate on par with the highest rate previously achieved. Additionally, the recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC) – commonly known as cardboard – increased.