FPA Submits Testimony in Opposition to House Bill 21 to Maryland’s House Environment and Transportation Committee

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) is submitting testimony in opposition to HB21, “Recycling: Prohibition on the Chemical Conversion of Plastic,” which would ban the use of advanced recycling in the state. FPA and its members are particularly interested in solving the plastic pollution issue and increasing the recycling of solid waste from packaging. We do not believe that HB21 will help to do that. Flexible packaging is in a unique situation as it is one of the most environmentally sustainable packaging types from a water and energy consumption, product-to-package ratio, transportation efficiency, food waste, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction standpoint, but circularity options are limited. There is no single solution that can be applied to all communities when it comes to the best way to collect, sort, and process flexible packaging waste. Viability is influenced by existing equipment and infrastructure; material collection methods and rates; volume and mix; and demand for the recovered material.