On May 13, 2025, Maryland Governor officially signed Senate Bill 901 into law, making Maryland the sixth U.S. state to implement a statewide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for packaging and paper products. This move follows similar legislation passed in Maine (2021), Oregon (2021), Colorado (2022), California (2022), and Minnesota (2024).
Effective June 1, 2025, the new law requires producers to take financial and operational responsibility for the end-of-life management of covered materials sold or distributed in the state. "Covered materials" include most packaging and paper products, with specific exemptions for certain medical, hazardous, and food-related packaging.
The term “producer” varies depending on the product and sales structure and may include manufacturers, brand owners, licensees, importers, first sellers, or first distributors. However, exemptions apply to certain entities, such as public bodies, charitable organizations, and de minimis producers—those who introduced less than one ton of covered materials into the state in the most recent fiscal year or whose global gross revenues are below $2 million.
To comply, producers shall register with and pay annual fees to a nonprofit Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to continue selling, distributing, or importing covered materials in Maryland.
Beginning July 1, 2028, all producers—either individually or through a registered PRO—are required to submit their initial Producer Responsibility Plan to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The plan must address objectives related to waste reduction, recycling, and reuse, and include detailed financing mechanisms to support these initiatives. Producers are required to update and resubmit their plans every five years. Non-compliance by either producers or PROs may result in penalties of up to $20,000.
For information on similar legislation across the U.S., see EPR Laws for Packaging in the United States.
