Solutions for Hard to Recycle Materials

Investments and Policies to drive Consumer-Packaged-Goods Reuse, Joanne Brasch, PhD

As California moves toward mandatory reuse and refill targets, the beauty and personal care sector has emerged as a strategic entry point for circular innovation. This presentation highlights how CPSC is working with industry stakeholders to overcome the unique logistical challenges of small-format packaging. We will examine the policy drivers behind these shifts and provide a roadmap for brands to move beyond single-use designs.

The session will also detail the critical role of “reverse logistics” and regional infrastructure, such as industrial wash hubs and collection partnerships. By analyzing current research and stakeholder feedback, we will discuss how local governments and retailers can collaborate to build the infrastructure necessary for a profitable, state-wide reuse economy.

Shifting the Burden: EPR as a Tool for Systemic Change, Stefanie Valentic

Extended producer responsibility is no longer a packaging-only conversation. A growing number of states have passed, or are actively advancing, EPR laws covering batteries, and the disposable vape crisis is forcing the question of what comes next.
Oregon’s HB 4144, signed into law in April 2026, bans lithium-ion battery disposal in municipal solid waste and requires producers to fund statewide collection programs or face civil penalties up to $10,000 per day. But legislation is only as strong as its implementation.
Drawing on frontline reporting from the recycling and resource recovery industry, this session breaks down what the latest battery EPR frameworks require, where the enforcement gaps remain, and why disposable vapes, hazardous, battery-containing, and largely unregulated, represent the next major legislative frontier.