Global trends and a shifting landscape are forcing old dogs to consider new tricks. Organics processing capacity is scaling up fast through private investment and policy support, extended producer responsibility is shifting from planning to enforcement with real financial consequences for producers, and a new World Bank report frames the big-picture urgency: global waste will grow 50% by 2050 unless systemic solutions take hold. Here’s what’s making news this week.
In the news
This Week in Waste
Filling the Organics Infrastructure Gap
Private companies and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels are expanding organics processing capacity in response to the opportunities, and the urgency, of removing organics from landfill disposal streams. Republic Services diverted more than 1.1 million tons of food and yard waste in 2025 and is opening the San Bernardino Sustainability Park in Southern California, capable of processing up to 600,000 tons of yard and food waste annually. The 2026 Farm Bill formalizes the Composting and Food Waste Reduction program and doubles the maximum REAP loan guarantee for anaerobic digestion projects to $50 million. New York State DEC announced more than $2.1 million in grants to support new and expanded food scraps recycling programs, and the Twin Cities area is set to receive its first anaerobic digester in 2027, with capacity to process up to 75,000 tons of food waste from the region.
Sources: Waste Dive / IndexBox ·
NYSDEC ·
BioCycle
EPR Opens Its Mouth and Shows Its Teeth
Extended producer responsibility is moving beyond packaging into textiles, with California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act — the nation’s first textile EPR program — going into force July 1, 2026. New York and Washington state lawmakers have also reintroduced textile EPR bills. Other state EPR initiatives target boat wrap in Minnesota, household hazardous waste in Vermont, and petroleum product containers in Colorado. Meanwhile, in spite of headwinds in Maine, 2026 is the year packaging EPR shifts from planning to enforcement: Colorado’s plan officially took effect January 1st, making this the first year producers will pay mandatory responsibility fees. Oregon producers must report 2025 sales data by May 31st, with fees due in July 2026.
Key takeaway: EPR requirements and their consequences are no longer theoretical. Producers, municipalities, and haulers should be mapping their exposure now.
Sources: Resource Recycling ·
Resource Recycling (opinion) ·
Resource Recycling (reuse/EPR) ·
Waste Dive ·
Resource Recycling ·
Trayak ·
CalRecycle
World Bank: Global Waste to Rise 50% by 2050 — With Solutions Within Reach
A new World Bank report puts the long-term waste challenge in stark global perspective. The 2026 report estimates global waste generation will increase by around 50% by 2050, underscoring the urgency for better waste management given rapid population growth, urbanization, and increased consumption. Globally, landfills remain the most common waste management method, handling about 29% of all waste, while recycling, composting, and anaerobic digestion collectively process another 21%. The report highlights that waste services and circular economy industries already employ millions of workers globally and could create many more with the right policy and investment frameworks.
Sources: Waste Dive
Foundational Knowledge
The More You Know
From SWEEP
Why We NEED a Circular Economy Approach to Reach Climate Targets
As global waste grows and EPR policies proliferate, the case for a systemic, circular economy response has never been clearer. This SWEEP blog piece examines why piecemeal approaches fall short — and why a circular economy framework is the appropriate long-term response to the waste crisis, from organics diversion to producer responsibility to materials recovery at scale.
Focus on SWEEP
SWEEP Webinars Got You Covered
In-depth conversations on composting infrastructure, EPR policy, and sustainable materials management — topics directly connected to all three stories above. Whether you’re tracking organics capacity expansion, mapping your EPR exposure, or following global waste trends, SWEEP’s webinar series has you covered.
| → Watch on YouTube | Join the National Consensus Committee |