Packfile · US packaging EPR data, filings and fee control
Cascade Provisions Co. US Packaging EPR Exposure Assessment
Prepared 27 July 2026 ·
Seven enacted state programmes · Scope: all packaging and paper placed on the US market, FY2025 volumes
Estimated fees, states already charging
$4,360
Per year, at current published rates
Run-rate once all seven are live
$30,259
By 2029–2030 on today’s volumes
Obligated states, participation unconfirmed
6
Registering with the PRO costs nothing — the exposure is in not being listed
Packaging weight on estimated data
74%
Needs supplier confirmation before filing
Read the two fee numbers correctly. Only Oregon and Colorado are charging today, and together
they are about 3% of the US population — which is why the live number is small. California
alone is roughly 11.5% of the US, and its fees begin in January 2027. Critically, the 2027
California invoice is calculated from the packaging data you report in 2026, so the accuracy of
this year’s submission is what sets next year’s bill. A widely quoted industry rule of thumb
puts PRO fees at 0.5–1% of sales; computed from the published per-material rates and the seven
states actually enacted, your figure is nearer
0.11% of revenue. We would rather
show you the arithmetic than the rule of thumb.
Where you stand, state by state
Each state applies its own small-producer test. The tests are not the same, and being
exempt in one state says nothing about the others.
State
Status
Tonnes
Est. annual fee
Dates that matter
California
SB 54 (Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act)
⚠ Obligated — participation unconfirmed
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
7.62
$2,669
2026-05-31 — Simplified supply report for 2025 data. 2026-07-01 — CAA plan filing to MDE.
Colorado
HB 22-1355
⚠ Obligated — participation unconfirmed
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
7.25
$2,537
2024-10-01 — Original producer registration deadline (passed — late registrants are exposed). 2026-05-31 — Annual supply report for 2025 data.
Minnesota
HF 3911 (Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act)
⚠ Obligated — participation unconfirmed
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
2026-04-09 — DEQ published its first quarterly producer status list — 250 producers publicly named as non-compliant. 2026-05-31 — CAA deadline for 2025 supply data (sets 2027 fees). 2026-12-31 — Life-cycle impact evaluation disclosure due for the 25 largest producers by weight.
Maine
LD 1541 / LD 1423
⚠ Obligated — participation unconfirmed
Participation in this state's programme is not confirmed. CAA takes a single registration covering all states, but each state programme still has to list you as a participating producer — registering once does not automatically cover a state you added later.
Hover any bar for the underlying tonnage and rate basis.
California
$16,799
Washington
$3,369
Maryland
$2,669
Colorado
$2,537
Minnesota
$2,464
Oregon
$1,823
Maine
$598
Where the money actually goes
Fees are charged per pound by material, and the spread between the cheapest and the
most expensive material is more than twenty to one. The bars below are the chargeable pounds only
— the share of your national volume allocated to the seven enacted states — priced at
Oregon’s published rates.
Multi-layer laminate / stand-up pouches
$10,726
Glass containers
$4,689
PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags)
$2,892
Corrugated cardboard (shippers)
$2,291
Mixed / unclassified
$2,264
PVC / PVDC
$2,059
Boxboard / folding carton
$1,792
PET — clear bottles
$1,573
Expanded polystyrene (EPS foam)
$1,259
PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars)
$692
Fee reduction opportunities
Multi-layer laminate is 10,515 lb (~$10,725/yr, 35% of your fee) at about $1.02/lb. Mono-material PE pouches move this to the film rate ($0.43/lb), roughly a 58% reduction on that line.
PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) is 6,726 lb (~$2,892/yr, 10% of your fee) and carries an eco-modulation penalty because it is not widely recycled.
Light-weighting is charged by weight, so a 5% gram reduction on your heaviest component reduces the fee by 5% permanently, in every state, every year.
What is exposed if nothing changes
California — CalRecycle enforcement; producers can be found delinquent by the PRO and referred to the state.
Washington — Minimum $1,000 for a first violation, escalating.
Maryland — $5,000 first violation; $10,000 second; $20,000 each subsequent violation.
Colorado — Enforcement by CDPHE; producers below ~$5.5M revenue may register as low-volume producers rather than pay full fees.
Minnesota — Up to $100,000 per day for successive violations.
Oregon — Class 1 violation, civil penalties up to $25,000 per day; Oregon DOJ may bar sale of the producer's products in state.
Maine — Maine DEP enforcement.
Oregon publishes a producer status list every quarter naming
non-compliant producers. The first list, on 9 April 2026, named 250 companies.
Data gaps to close before you file
Everything below is a number a regulator would expect you to be able to defend.
CP-COF-12 / Coffee bag, 12 oz laminate: weight is a reference estimate (+/-30%)
CP-COF-12 / BOPP / film label: weight is a reference estimate (+/-35%)
CP-COF-12 / One-way degassing valve: weight is a reference estimate (+/-35%)
CP-COF-12 / Retail case, corrugated (per 12): weight is a reference estimate (+/-25%)
CP-GRN-11 / Granola carton, 11 oz: weight is a reference estimate (+/-25%)
CP-GRN-11 / Inner bag, PE film: weight is a reference estimate (+/-30%)
CP-GRN-11 / Retail case, corrugated (per 8): weight is a reference estimate (+/-25%)
CP-NUT-16 / Paper pressure-sensitive label: weight is a reference estimate (+/-35%)
CP-NUT-16 / Induction seal liner: weight is a reference estimate (+/-35%)
CP-NUT-16 / Retail case, corrugated (per 6): weight is a reference estimate (+/-25%)
CP-JUI-12 / Juice bottle, 12 oz PET: weight is a reference estimate (+/-25%)
CP-JUI-12 / Full-body shrink sleeve: weight is a reference estimate (+/-30%)
What we would do next. Close the gaps above by pulling component specifications from your
suppliers, convert your catalogue into a defensible per-SKU packaging bill of materials, and file
the state reports on your schedule. Fixed fee, five business days for the data build.
Book an assessment — $1,850 ·
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