Key Defensive Priorities

 ➢ Recycling bill: A forthcoming Enhanced Producer Responsibility bill that would require producers of certain goods to take responsibility for the recycling costs of their products. Early drafts have included newspapers and magazines. Based on 2022 rates in British Columbia (the only active program that includes newsprint), this could result in a fee that would raise the effective price of newsprint by 50%, which would be extremely detrimental to members. We are working with proponents to add newspapers to exempted products, which already include books. Like books, newspapers are products, not packaging. Further, it is a product that is 100% biodegradable with high recycling rates. For decades, newspapers have worked to make their products increasingly environmentally friendly and have been at the forefront of proactive programs in that regard. According to the EPA’s own data, newspapers comprise less than 1.7% (down from 4.6%in 1995) of municipal solid waste. We are hopeful that the bill’s proponents will see the logic in excluding newspapers and will keep members apprised of the status of this bill.

 ➢ Public notices:  Public notices are an important component of transparency into government activity and many business activities of public interest. We are committed to not only defending these notices but proactively promoting their role in keeping the public informed.