HB1237: HB1237 Pollution Prevention and Producer Responsibility Act of 2026; enact

Georgia currently has no statewide requirement that companies help pay for recycling or composting the packaging and paper products they sell. House Bill 1237 would add a new article to the state's waste management law creating the 'Pollution Prevention and Producer Responsibility Act of 2026.' It would require producers of packaging, paper products, and beverage containers to register with nonprofit organizations called Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), which would design and fund statewide collection, recycling, composting, and reuse programs. The bill also creates a beverage container deposit return system, starting with a 10 cent refund per container that could rise to 15 cents if redemption goals are not met. A Producer Responsibility Advisory Board would review plans, and the Department of Natural Resources would approve producer plans, set performance standards, run needs assessments, and enforce compliance through civil penalties up to $50,000 per day. Various deadlines are staggered over the first two to five years after the law takes effect.

• Requires producers of packaging, paper products, and beverage containers to register with an approved Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) or demonstrate high individual recycling rates to sell products in Georgia.
• Creates a statewide beverage container deposit system starting at a 10 cent refund value per container, rising to 15 cents if redemption targets are not met.
• Establishes a Producer Responsibility Advisory Board within 120 days of the law taking effect to review producer plans and advise the Department of Natural Resources.
• Directs the Department of Natural Resources to contract for a statewide needs assessment of recycling, composting, and reuse infrastructure and to set performance standards for reuse, recycling, composting, and reduced use of plastic packaging.
• Requires PROs to fund a reuse financial assistance program of at least $5 million per year, adjusted for inflation, to support reuse systems.
• Bans certain toxic additives, including lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, phthalates, and PFAS, in covered materials starting four years after the law takes effect.

The bill affects companies that manufacture, brand, or import packaging, paper products, or beverage containers sold in Georgia; retailers; recycling, composting, and material recovery facilities; local governments and public service providers that handle waste; and consumers who would pay refundable deposits on beverage containers.

If enacted, Georgians would pay a refundable deposit on many beverages, and the companies that make packaging would take on new financial and operational responsibility for recycling and composting programs statewide, potentially changing how curbside recycling, redemption centers, and composting services are funded and organized.

• Section 12-8-110.1 defines key terms including 'producer,' 'covered material,' 'recyclable,' 'compostable,' and 'responsible end market,' setting the legal scope of the program.
• Section 12-8-110.2 creates the 11-member Producer Responsibility Advisory Board, appointed for four-year terms, to review PRO plans and report biennially to legislative committees.
• Section 12-8-110.3 requires a statewide needs assessment, due about 21 months after the law takes effect, inventorying recycling and composting infrastructure and costs.
• Section 12-8-110.4 requires producers to register with a department-selected packaging PRO and beverage PRO within one year of the law's effective date, with fees set by the department.
• Section 12-8-110.6 establishes the beverage container deposit system, setting a 10 cent refund value within two years (or 15 cents if redemption rates fall short) and requiring redemption facility payments.
• Section 12-8-110.14 requires each PRO to fund a reuse financial assistance program of at least $5 million annually, adjusted for inflation.
• Section 12-8-110.15 prohibits intentionally adding certain toxic additives (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, phthalates, PFAS) to covered materials starting four years after the effective date.
• Section 12-8-110.17 authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to issue corrective orders and administrative penalties up to $50,000 per day for violations.

1. 2026-02-10House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-09House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-06House Hopper (House)

• Eric Bell (D, HD-075)Primary sponsor
• Long Tran (D, HD-080)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Doreen Carter (D, HD-093)
• Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)

• recycling policy
• beverage container deposits
• packaging regulation
• extended producer responsibility
• environmental toxins