Numerous new state packaging policies have taken effect in 2025 already, including bottle bill updates, PFAS bans and restrictions on certain checkout bags. But the halfway point of the year is another common time for provisions to kick in. Multiple states have packaging-related laws taking force in July, including related to extended producer responsibility and bans on some items.
New Hampshire's ban on lithium-ion battery disposal goes into effect July 1. Households and businesses alike will need to dispose of the batteries and devices like cell phones, printers, copiers, fax machines and a range of computer accessories at designated drop-off locations.
A new “commingling cooperative” led by brand owners is set to take over deposit collections for Maine’s bottle bill program on July 15. The cooperative will usher in several changes to the program, including looser sorting requirements for redemption centers. The shift was outlined in a bottle bill update the state enacted in 2023.
In Delaware, restaurants and other food service establishments will be prohibited from providing polystyrene foam containers for ready-to-eat food or beverages come July 1. That’s under a 2023 update that also applies to single-service plastic coffee stirrers, cocktail picks or sandwich picks.
In Illinois, hotels with 50 or more rooms won’t be allowed to offer personal care products in small, single-use plastic bottles. Also coming up in Illinois: State agencies must implement plans to reduce the single-use plastics they purchase or use.
Starting July 1, Oregonians will be able to return canned wine containers under an update to the state’s bottle bill.
Virginia will begin implementing a ban on single-use EPS foam containers come July 1. It covers food vendors like restaurants and grocery stores with 20 or more locations in Virginia, and also applies to school lunches. Next July the ban will expand to all food vendors in the state. The original law was passed in 2021 and had previously been delayed.
Additionally, extended producer responsibility for packaging programs in multiple states have key milestones in July. Oregon’s program officially begins July 1. In Minnesota, July 1 is the producer registration deadline. And in Colorado, Circular Action Alliance’s deadline for data reporting is July 31.
Reporter Jacob Wallace contributed to this story.
