[Podcast] Catching Up on Canadian Environmental Regulation
The Great Green North: A Discussion on Canada’s Environmental Regulations
Recent Actions on Ag Biotech by EPA’s Emerging Technologies Branch
Act 578 has been signed by the Governor which would authorize the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission (“NRC”) to issue certain general obligation bonds. ...more
H.B. 177 has been submitted into the 2025 General Session of the Utah Legislature addressing recycling of glass....more
In what should be welcome news to industry and others who generate hazardous waste in California (including contaminated soil), the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Department of Toxic Substances...more
Introduction - On December 31, 2024, the Government of Canada published a guide for reporting to the Federal Plastics Registry (Registry). As discussed in our previous bulletin, the Government of Canada established the...more
The National Waste & Recycling Association (“NWRA”) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (“SWANA”) released a January 2025 Policy Statement that is stated to address what is described as the: …critical issue...more
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials Document (“ASTSWMO”) has produced a document titled: Quick Reference Guide Community Considerate Cleanups (“Guide”)....more
As extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) programs unfold in several U.S. states, Environmental General Counsel is using its international connections within IR Global – a multi-disciplinary professional services network –...more
The National Association for PET Container Resources (“NAPCOR”) issued a document titled: 2023 PET RECYCLING REPORT (“Report”). ...more
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently unveiled its National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution (Plastic Pollution Strategy), a comprehensive document that outlines voluntary measures and regulatory...more
What Happened - On Monday, October 14, 2024, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecyle) opened a public comment period on changes to the previously proposed regulations implementing the...more
The extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) programs for packaging that are currently unfolding in several states impose two primary obligations on producers of covered materials—reporting data and paying fees to a producer...more
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) published a consultation document on July 4, 2024, seeking input from stakeholders on a proposed roadmap for addressing plastic waste and pollution from the textile and apparel...more
Countries are preparing for a new round of negotiations on an ambitious legally binding international treaty to address plastics pollution across the entire life cycle of plastics per the UNEA 5.2 mandate in resolution 5/14....more
Within the last month, California has made significant strides toward its bid to create a circular economy for certain packaging and food service ware materials. On January 8, 2024, California's Department of Resources...more
On October 18, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention submitted a final rule for publication in the Federal Register, amending 40 CFR Part 372, involving reporting...more
In The Graduate, Mr. McGuire pulls aside Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman, and utters “one word” of career advice – “plastics.” Benjamin’s diffident reaction reflects his wealthy suburban character’s utter lack of...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) recently released a “Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution.” Depending on its ultimate composition, the final strategy could materially affect the...more
Earlier this month, a team of researchers out of the UK, Canada, and New Zealand published a first-of-its-kind study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hazardous Material Advances, examining the microplastics pollution potential...more
Aprueba Congreso de la Unión Reforma Minera, con impactos sustanciales en materia de concesiones mineras, uso de aguas nacionales y manejo de residuos....more
The Mexican Congress approved the Mining Reform, with substantial impacts on mining concessions, use of national waters and waste management....more
On the eve of Earth Day, the Biden Administration announced a new “White House Interagency Policy Committee (“IPC”) on Plastic Pollution and a Circular Economy.” The IPC is tasked with coordinating federal efforts on plastic...more
On March 29, 2023, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) held a workshop on Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) and forthcoming regulations under the Plastic Pollution Prevention...more
Three hundred million tons of plastics are produced each year worldwide. Less than 10% of plastic waste in the United States is recycled each year. With projections showing that plastics production is expected to triple over...more
California’s SB 54, or the Plastic Producer Responsibility Act, represents a substantial expansion of the increasingly popular form of legislation focused on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic recycling. While...more
Following the goals outlined in the PFAS Blueprint (published in 2021), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) published a plan to gather data on the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Minnesota....more