Where the plastic waste system breaks down and how EPR can help | SC Johnson x WWF

Plastic waste is often treated as a problem that begins when something is thrown away. But what happens to a package depends on decisions made across a much larger system, from how it is designed and what materials are used to whether it can be collected, processed and put back into use. 

In the latest post in the WWF–SC Johnson blog series, we look at that bigger picture: where the plastic waste system gets stuck, why improving one part of it isn't enough, and how a national framework can help connect the pieces.

 

Looking at the whole system 

A company can reduce the amount of plastic in a package or design it to be recyclable. A community can expand collection. A recycler can invest in new equipment. Each step can make a difference. 

However, none of those steps happens in isolation. A recyclable package can still become waste if it isn't collected, can't be sorted or processed, or doesn't have a market at the other end. The system works only when those pieces work together. 

Today, those pieces often do not line up. In its 2024 State of Recycling report, TRP found that only 21% of U.S. residential recyclables are being recycled, with most losses happening before materials ever reach a recycling facility. A package can be recyclable on paper and still never make it through the system. 

That practical challenge is at the center of the new post. Rather than focusing on a single point in a package’s life, it asks a broader question: What system are we actually trying to improve? 

 

Connecting the pieces

Addressing plastic waste requires looking across the full system. Policy has an important role to play: not by replacing the work companies, communities and consumers are already doing, but by helping those efforts connect. 
The post explores how a national framework could help create clearer responsibility, more consistent rules and stronger conditions for investment across the system. It also considers the role that well-designed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can play in creating that consistency while leaving room for communities to meet local needs. 

Read the full post on BlueParadox.com. 

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