FREE to all registered Farwest attendees.
State Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for packaging and plastics are rapidly expanding across the United States and will increasingly affect agricultural sectors that rely heavily on plastic packaging and shipping materials, including nursery and greenhouse operators. These laws shift responsibility for managing packaging waste from municipalities and taxpayers to the companies that produce or introduce packaging into the marketplace. Several states—including Oregon, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington—have adopted EPR frameworks, with Oregon among the first to implement reporting and fee obligations.
Why it matters: For the nursery and greenhouse industry, which relies extensively on plastic pots, trays, tags, sleeves, shipping cartons, and protective packaging, these policies create new regulatory and cost pressures.
What is happening: The Oregon Association of Nurseries, Agricultural Council of California, and AmericanHort have been leading a national conversation about the creation of model policies, regulatory reductions to the industry, and collaboration with industry and the supply chain to right-size the impact of EPR legislation that has passed or is being actively considered by other states.
What is next: Join the conversation with a panel of the front line voices on this important issue.
Panel:
- HC Companies,
- Al’s Garden & Home,
- Krueger’s Tree Farm & Nursery,
- Anderson Pots,
- Emily Rooney, Agricultural Council of California
- Rachel Pick, AmericanHort
