Circular Economy

California AB 2481 — Committee Do Pass on Glass Beverage Container Quality Incentive Payments

California’s AB 2481 has cleared an Assembly committee with a Do pass recommendation, advancing a bill to expand quality incentive payments for high-quality recycled glass beverage containers to additional in-state manufacturers. This would broaden how existing Beverage Container Recycling Fund appropriations can be used, potentially strengthening California’s glass recycling markets and supporting investments in fiberglass and other local manufacturing capacity.

16 May 2026, 09:04leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

California AB 2549 – Appropriations Committee Advances Electronic Waste Recycling Bill

California’s Assembly Appropriations Committee has advanced AB 2549, which would amend the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 to update manufacturer notice requirements for covered electronic devices following a unanimous do pass vote on 14 May 2026. This keeps the bill moving toward an Assembly floor vote and signals ongoing pressure on electronics producers to prepare for possible changes to California’s e‑waste recycling and product stewardship obligations.

16 May 2026, 09:03leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

France Consults on Draft Order Extending REP Oils Scheme to Oil Containers

France is consulting in May 2026 on a draft ministerial order that integrates containers for lubricating and industrial oils into the extended producer responsibility scheme, aligns obligations with packaging REP frameworks, and fine-tunes financing, R&D and hazardous-chemical-product thresholds. If adopted from mid-2026, the order will tighten collection, recycling and prevention trajectories for oil containers, create cross-scheme compensation rules, and set a series of 2027–2030 milestones that eco-organismes, oil and packaging producers, and waste operators must build into their REP strategy and investment planning.

15 May 2026, 18:34consultations-publiques.developpement-durable.gouv.frFrance

Germany Federal Government Tables Draft Law to Implement EU Repair-of-Goods Directive

In May 2026 the German federal government tabled a draft law to implement the EU Repair of Goods Directive by amending the Civil Code to extend warranties after repair, impose repair duties on manufacturers and introduce a standard EU repair information form. If adopted, manufacturers and retailers of appliances and electronics will need to redesign after-sales, pricing and information processes from mid-2026 to ensure repair availability, transparency and circular-economy compliance across key product categories.

15 May 2026, 17:48dserver.bundestag.deGermany

Rhineland-Palatinate To Continue Pilot Project On Phosphorus Recovery From Sewage Sludge Incineration Residues

In May 2026, the Rhineland-Palatinate environment ministry confirmed continued support for a pilot project to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge incineration residues at Thermische Verwertung Mainz GmbH to help meet legal recovery obligations from 2029. The project signals how regional authorities are accelerating permitting and investment in nutrient-recovery infrastructure, shaping future implementation pathways and expectations for wastewater and waste operators in the state.

15 May 2026, 17:47mkuem.rlp.deGermany

Germany Bundestag Publishes Government Bill Implementing Directive (EU) 2024/1799 On Repair Of Goods

In May 2026 the German federal government formally submitted to the Bundestag a bill implementing Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on the promotion of repair of goods, introducing new right-to-repair and warranty provisions into the Civil Code. If adopted, this will require manufacturers and retailers of key consumer products to support longer product lifetimes through repair obligations, extended warranty periods, and clearer repair information, reinforcing circular-economy expectations ahead of the 31 July 2026 EU transposition deadline.

15 May 2026, 16:12dserver.bundestag.deGermanyEuropean Union

Minnesota MPCA Schedules 20 May Packaging EPR Advisory Board Meeting and Seeks Environmental Justice Board Member

Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency is holding a 20 May 2026 hybrid meeting of its Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Advisory Board, closing key needs-assessment surveys on 15 May, and keeping an environmental justice board seat open for applications. These steps will shape how Minnesota’s Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act is implemented, influencing future obligations, fees, material scope, and governance for packaging producers and affected municipalities.

15 May 2026, 16:12pca.state.mn.usUnited States

New York Assembly Proposes EPR and PFAS Ban for Carpet and Artificial Turf (A11369)

New York Assembly Bill A11369, introduced in May 2026, would extend the state’s carpet extended producer responsibility (EPR) law to cover artificial turf while tightening PFAS-free and labelling requirements for both product types. If enacted, manufacturers and retailers of carpet and turf used in New York would face new EPR-based takeback and recycling obligations, PFAS-free composition rules from late 2026, and closer scrutiny of product design and end-of-life management in the state.

15 May 2026, 15:42assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

New York Bill S10328 Proposes Minimum Reclaimed Asphalt Content for Paving Projects

New York has introduced Senate Bill S10328 to require most asphalt paving mixes used on highways, driveways, parking lots and other construction projects to contain minimum levels of reclaimed asphalt pavement, with 30% recycled content for standard mixes and 10% for heavy-duty mixes, and the bill is now before the Senate Transportation Committee. If enacted, this would tighten material specifications for public and private paving work, forcing contractors and asphalt suppliers to adjust mix designs and RAP sourcing while supporting circular-economy and emissions-reduction goals in New York’s transport and construction sectors.

15 May 2026, 15:24nysenate.govUnited States

UK Updates Packaging EPR Dataset With Operator-By-Material Breakdown

The UK environment authorities have updated their packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) statistical dataset to add clearer data definitions and a breakdown of accredited reprocessors and exporters by material type and tonnage band. This improves visibility of actual packaging waste flows and compliance patterns without changing underlying EPR reporting obligations, helping producers and regulators benchmark market participation and potential enforcement focus.

15 May 2026, 15:17gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Spain – Civil Society Urges Comunidad De Madrid To Approve Deposit‑Return System Operators

Spanish civil-society groups are pressuring the Comunidad de Madrid to resolve outstanding authorisations for operators of Spain’s future beverage-container deposit-return system by 22 May 2026, ahead of an NGO-cited November start date and against a backdrop of missed EU separate-collection targets. This amplifies expectations that Spain will move quickly to implement the deposit-return framework in its 2022 waste and packaging laws, signalling rising compliance and systems-change pressure on beverage producers, retailers and packaging value chains.

15 May 2026, 14:46tierra.orgSpain

US House Introduces Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026 (H.R. 7502)

A bipartisan US House bill (H.R. 7502) would create uniform federal standards for recycled content, recycling and recyclability claims, explicitly recognising mass balance accounting and empowering the FTC to police misleading marketing. If enacted, it could pre-empt stricter or divergent state green-claims rules, centralise oversight under the FTC, and reshape how brands substantiate and communicate recycled content across products and supply chains.

15 May 2026, 13:27govinfo.govUnited States

Castilla y León Grants Integrated Environmental Authorisation for Ilunion LFP Battery Recycling Plant (Boecillo, Valladolid)

Castilla y León has granted an integrated environmental authorisation for Ilunion Batteries to build and operate a large LFP lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Boecillo, Valladolid, with detailed limits on capacity, emissions, wastes, monitoring and start-up timing. This permit creates a new regional hub for LFP battery recycling under the EU Industrial Emissions and Batteries frameworks, signalling rising regulatory expectations on closed-loop recovery, hazardous-waste control and BAT-level environmental performance for lithium battery value chains.

15 May 2026, 13:26bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

Castilla y León Grants Environmental Authorisation for Ilunion Batteries LFP Recycling Plant in Boecillo

Castilla y León has issued an integrated environmental authorisation for Ilunion Batteries’ new LFP battery recycling plant in Boecillo, setting detailed conditions for emissions, waste management, water and soil protection, and monitoring. This permit confirms the project can proceed but imposes stringent IPPC, hazardous-waste and battery-regulation compliance obligations, so plant design, reporting systems and financial guarantees must align with the five-year start-up window and ongoing control requirements.

15 May 2026, 12:44bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

Council Working Party on the Environment To Examine Waste Export Ban, Vehicle CO2 Standards and ETS Market Stability Reserve (18–21 May 2026)

The Council Working Party on the Environment will meet on 18 and 21 May 2026 to discuss proposals on banning exports of mixed municipal waste, tightening CO2 standards and labelling for new light-duty vehicles, and changing the EU ETS market stability reserve. These meetings mark the next Council negotiation step on major circular economy and climate files, signalling timing and direction for waste exporters, automotive manufacturers and carbon-intensive industries to track.

15 May 2026, 12:42data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Presidency Proposes Amendments to Batteries Regulation on Producer Scope, QR Codes and SVHC Disclosure

The EU Council presidency has tabled a compromise text to amend the Batteries Regulation, widening the producer definition, aligning SVHC disclosure with REACH/CLP, and mandating QR‑coded battery passports and LMT battery removability from 18 February 2027. If agreed, these changes will clarify who is legally responsible for battery labelling and digital passports, expand data on SVHCs and critical raw materials, and increase design and information‑management demands for battery and equipment manufacturers and importers.

15 May 2026, 12:20data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Colorado Legislature Passes Bill to Extend Battery Stewardship Act to Electric Vehicle Propulsion Batteries (SB26-003)

Colorado lawmakers have passed SB26-003, a bill extending the state’s Battery Stewardship Act to cover end-of-life management of electric vehicle propulsion batteries, with Senate concurrence on House amendments on 13 May 2026. If signed, this will impose registration, education, labelling, collection, reporting and fee obligations on EV battery and vehicle suppliers from 2027 onward and effectively ban landfilling of propulsion batteries from late 2028, requiring OEMs and supply chains to plan compliant take-back and recycling systems in Colorado.

15 May 2026, 12:02leg.colorado.govUnited States

Chile Atacama SEREMI Outlines REP Implementation, Climate Action, and Decontamination Plan Priorities

Chile’s Atacama regional environmental authority has set priorities to implement the national extended producer responsibility law for tyres and packaging, fund new high-Andean ecosystem projects, complete municipal climate action plans by 2026, and draft an air-quality decontamination plan for Copiapó–Tierra Amarilla. These signals point to tighter expectations on waste and circular-economy performance in the region and foreshadow future local regulatory obligations once climate and air-quality plans move into public consultation and adoption.

15 May 2026, 09:25mma.gob.clChile

Wisconsin DNR Reminds Responsible Units To Update Recycling Ordinances

Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is reminding local responsible units to update their recycling ordinances and education materials to align with a statewide recycling rule revision that took effect on 1 July 2025. Municipal recycling programmes that promptly adopt the template ordinance and meet the enhanced outreach requirements will be better positioned to maintain compliance, secure state recycling grants, and manage long-term program costs and performance.

15 May 2026, 09:01dnr.wisconsin.govUnited States

Maine Enacts Battery EPR Law (LD 474) for Primary and Rechargeable Batteries

In April 2026 Maine enacted Public Law 2026, Chapter 608 (LD 474), creating a statewide extended producer responsibility program for primary and rechargeable batteries and battery-containing products. Producers and retailers will need to join an approved stewardship program, fund statewide collection and reporting systems, and plan for staged obligations on participation, embedded batteries and marking from 2027 through 2031 to maintain market access in Maine.

15 May 2026, 09:00mainelegislature.orgUnited States