ABSTRACT
In efforts to solve the growing municipal solid waste problem, an increasing amount of attention in the United States is going to legislative remedies. At the federal level, the major legislation relevant to packaging and the environment is concerned with disposal methods. The states have, in general, been much more active than the federal government in proposing and passing environmental legislation affecting packaging. For purposes of discussion, this legislation will be grouped into nine categories: deposits, taxes, bans and related restrictions, packaging review laws, mandatory recycling, plastics identification, disposal bans, recycled content requirements, and other. In addition to the types of legislation, there are a number of environmental certification programs which act to put some type of seal of approval on products and/or packages, to serve as guidance for consumers. Closely related to environmental certification programs are regulations concerning “green marketing”.
