With the legal and regulatory frameworks governing recycling and disposal being rewritten in real time, this week’s newsletter captures an industry approaching a policy inflection point. California’s SB 54 program plan enters public comment, a federal court in Louisiana revisits the constitutional limits of flow control, and record federal lobbying spending shows how aggressively industry players are working to shape the outcome. The rPET crisis highlights the problems that arise when policy fails to keep pace with market pressures, leading to domestic recycling infrastructure collapsing under the weight of cheap imports and depressed bale prices.
In the news
This Week in Waste
California’s SB 54 Packaging EPR Program Plan Enters Public Comment
On June 15, the Circular Action Alliance (CAA) submitted its 358-page draft California program plan to the Packaging Producer Responsibility Advisory Board under the state’s SB 54 law, marking a shift from planning to implementation. The law requires producers to cut single-use packaging by 25% and ensure all packaging is recyclable or compostable by 2032, with interim recycling rate targets of 30% by 2028 and 65% by 2032. A public comment period runs through August 14, making this a timely moment for waste and procurement professionals to weigh in.
Key takeaway: With SB 54 implementation now operational, any organization that sells packaged goods in California faces near-term compliance deadlines. The public comment window is open through August 14.
Sources: Waste Today ·
Recycling Today ·
Circular Action Alliance
Federal Court Ruling on Flow Control in Shreveport Tests the Public-Private Boundary
A federal court in Louisiana is weighing whether a city-owned but privately operated landfill can legally benefit from a flow control ordinance, a question that could reshape the constitutional analysis established by the Supreme Court’s landmark United Haulers decision. The court found that Shreveport’s landfill business arrangements more closely resembled the unconstitutional flow control precedent of Carbone, allowing the case to proceed to discovery and providing an important boost for challenges to flow control laws. The outcome could have significant implications for municipalities that rely on private operators to run publicly owned disposal infrastructure.
Sources: Waste360 ·
Waste Advantage
Waste Industry Hits Record Federal Lobbying Spending as Capitol Hill Focus Intensifies
The waste and recycling industry spent more than $6.5 million on federal lobbying in 2025, surpassing the prior peak set in 2009 and more than doubling 2019 spending levels. Major companies including WM, Republic Services, Waste Connections, and GFL are all actively lobbying on issues including EPR, PFAS liability, RNG tax credits, and recycling infrastructure investment. The surge reflects a moment when state-level policy momentum and shifting federal priorities are creating both opportunity and risk for industry players.
Key takeaway: As EPR, PFAS liability, and RNG incentives all move at once, expect the largest haulers to keep trying to shape the rules well before they reach a vote.
Sources: Waste Dive
The rPET Market Crisis Deepens: Cheap Imports Squeeze Domestic Recyclers, Forcing Plant Closures
Recent reclaimer closures have reduced domestic recycled PET capacity by about 25%, while rPET imports now account for about 25% of the U.S. market, according to data from NAPCOR. The closures have sent PET bale prices tumbling to near zero, while virgin resin prices have climbed, widening the economic gap that domestic reclaimers must bridge. Speakers from The Recycling Partnership, NAPCOR, and major brands have called for long-term contracts, stronger recycled content mandates, and reuse investments as necessary stabilizers.
Sources: Resource Recycling ·
Waste Dive
Webinar: A National Bottle Bill, and the Push Behind “Pipes and Wipes”
As EPR frameworks move from statute to implementation across the country, this SWEEP webinar features National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC) Executive Director and EPR authority Heidi Sanborn discussing the Council’s latest work on a national bottle bill and the “pipes and wipes” legislation.
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The rules governing recycling and disposal are being rewritten in real time — from statehouses to federal courts to Capitol Hill. The organizations shaping where that policy lands matter. Join SWEEP and help set the standard for what good waste management actually looks like.
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