Plastic Laws and Bills
Laws change what gets made, sold and thrown away for everyone at once. This tracker covers the global treaty talks and the national and state laws that are already working, with the date that matters most for each.
The global plastics treaty, in brief
Countries agreed in 2022 to negotiate a binding treaty on plastic pollution. Sessions in Busan (2024) and Geneva (August 2025) ended without a deal, with countries split over whether to limit plastic production. A new chair, Ambassador Julio Cordano of Chile, was elected in February 2026, informal talks were held in Nairobi from 30 June to 3 July 2026, and the next formal session is expected no earlier than March 2027.
Featured viewpoint
Bill Shireman on California’s AB 2253
The author of California’s bottle recycling law argues that AB 2253, now on the Governor’s desk, would narrow the recycling options California needs to make SB 54 succeed.
How producer responsibility works
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) makes the companies that sell packaged products pay for collecting and recycling that packaging, instead of taxpayers. Fees are usually lower for packaging that is easy to recycle or reuse, which gives brands a reason to redesign. Seven US states now have packaging EPR laws, and the new EU packaging regulation sets common rules across 27 countries.
The tracker
| Law or bill | Where | Status | Key date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Plastics Treaty (UN negotiations)A legally binding treaty on plastic pollution across its full life cycle, under negotiation since 2022. | International | Under negotiation Negotiations resuming; next formal session expected March 2027 | Mar 2027 |
| EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)Sets EU-wide rules for recyclable design, recycled content, reuse targets and labelling for all packaging. | European Union | In implementation Applies since 12 August 2026, with later phase-ins | 12 Aug 2026 |
| California AB 2253 (recycled content claims)Would require any product claiming recycled content to back the claim with documented, certified recycled content from 2030. Opposed by Bill Shireman, author of California’s bottle bill, in a featured viewpoint. | California, USA | Pending On the Governor’s desk; decision due by 30 September 2026 | 30 Sep 2026 |
| California SB 54 (Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act)The most ambitious US packaging law: 25 percent source reduction of plastic packaging and 65 percent recycling of single-use plastic by 2032. | California, USA | In implementation In implementation; full targets by 2032 | 1 May 2026 |
| Basel Convention plastic waste amendmentsSince 2021, shipments of mixed or contaminated plastic waste between countries need the prior consent of the importing country. | International | Enacted In force since January 2021 | 1 Jan 2021 |
| EU Single-Use Plastics DirectiveBans single-use plastic items that have alternatives, such as cutlery, plates, straws and foam food containers, and requires tethered caps. | European Union | In implementation In force; bans since 2021, tethered caps since 2024 | 5 Jun 2019 |
| Oregon SB 582 (Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act)Packaging extended producer responsibility law; producers began paying fees in July 2025. | Oregon, USA | In implementation Operating; first fees July 2025 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Colorado HB22-1355 (Producer Responsibility Program for Recycling)Packaging EPR law that funds statewide recycling access; producer fees began in January 2026. | Colorado, USA | In implementation Operating; fees since January 2026 | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Maine LD 1541 (Stewardship Program for Packaging)First US packaging EPR law (2021), reimbursing municipalities for recycling costs. | Maine, USA | In implementation In implementation; stewardship organization still being selected | 12 Jul 2021 |
| Minnesota HF 3911 (Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act)Packaging EPR law enacted in 2024 with reuse and reduction goals; producers cover at least half of costs from 2029. | Minnesota, USA | In implementation Early implementation | 1 Feb 2029 |
| Maryland SB 901 (Packaging and Paper Products Producer Responsibility)Packaging EPR law enacted in 2025 that allows more than one producer responsibility organization. | Maryland, USA | In implementation Early implementation; payments expected from 2028 | 1 May 2025 |
| Washington SB 5284 (Packaging and Paper EPR)Packaging EPR law enacted in 2025; producer registration was due in July 2026 and the program starts later this decade. | Washington, USA | In implementation Early implementation | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Pending state packaging EPR bills (New Jersey, Illinois and others)New Jersey is seen as the most likely next state; bills were also filed in Illinois, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan. New York’s bill failed again in June 2026 and Massachusetts’ lapsed in July 2026. | Several US states | Pending Pending | 31 Jul 2026 |
| California SB 1053 (plastic checkout bags)Ends the sale of thick “reusable” plastic film bags at checkout from 1 January 2026, closing a loophole in the state’s earlier bag ban. | California, USA | Enacted In effect since January 2026 | 1 Jan 2026 |
| US Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015Federal ban on plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics, prompted by research that included 5 Gyres’ Great Lakes sampling. | United States | Enacted Law since December 2015 | 28 Dec 2015 |
| US Save Our Seas 2.0 ActFederal law (2020) that strengthens marine debris response, funds research and supports international cooperation on ocean plastic. | United States | Enacted Law since December 2020 | 18 Dec 2020 |
| Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (US Congress)Proposed federal bill for national producer responsibility, a bottle deposit and a pause on new plastic plants. Introduced in several sessions; not enacted. | United States | Not enacted Introduced, not enacted | |
| Texas: no statewide bag lawContext for our Dallas network: in 2018 the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Laredo’s bag ban was preempted by state law, which ended local bag bans across Texas. | Texas, USA | Not enacted Local bag bans preempted since 2018 | 22 Jun 2018 |
| Oregon Bottle BillAmerica’s first container deposit law (1971), still one of the highest-performing deposit systems in the country. | Oregon, USA | Enacted In force since 1972 | 2 Jul 1971 |
| UK Plastic Packaging TaxTax on plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content, in force since April 2022. | United Kingdom | Enacted In force since April 2022 | 1 Apr 2022 |
| France AGEC anti-waste lawSets a path to end single-use plastic packaging by 2040, bans plastic around most fruit and vegetables, and requires microfibre filters in new washing machines. | France | In implementation In force since 2020, phased measures | 10 Feb 2020 |
| Panama City rivers, mangroves and bay cleanup planA US$4.8 million, 425-day program by the Alcaldía de Panamá to clear waste from the Matías Hernández and Río Abajo rivers, mangroves and the Bay of Panama shoreline. 534 tons removed by 12 September 2026. | Panama City, Panama | In implementation Under way; 425 days of work | Jul 2026 |
| Panama plastic bag ban (Law 1 of 2018)Panama became the first country in Central America to ban single-use polyethylene bags, relevant to our Bocas del Toro projects. | Panama | Enacted In force | 19 Jan 2018 |
| Chile single-use plastics in food service (Law 21.368)Restricts single-use plastic in restaurants and food delivery and promotes refillable drink bottles; builds on Chile’s 2016 producer responsibility law. | Chile | In implementation In force, phased | 13 Aug 2021 |
| Mexico City single-use plastics banBanned plastic bags in 2020 and many single-use items such as cutlery, straws and cups in 2021. | Mexico City, Mexico | Enacted In force | 1 Jan 2021 |
| Kenya plastic bag banOne of the world’s strictest bag bans (2017), later extended to single-use plastics in protected areas. | Kenya | Enacted In force since August 2017 | 28 Aug 2017 |
| Rwanda single-use plastics lawRwanda banned plastic bags in 2008 and most single-use plastic items in 2019, and co-chairs the High Ambition Coalition. | Rwanda | Enacted In force | 1 Oct 2019 |
| India ban on identified single-use plasticsBans the making, sale and use of a list of low-utility single-use items, such as plastic cutlery, straws and thin carry bags, from July 2022. | India | Enacted In force since July 2022 | 1 Jul 2022 |
Keep up to date
Laws move quickly. For the latest detail we recommend the UN treaty pages at unep.org, the US state tracker at EPR Atlas, and the Product Stewardship Institute. Our daily update also collects new policy headlines.