Vermont’s Act 58 (2023) established the nation’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for household hazardous products. The law shifts the financial and operational responsibility for managing toxic, flammable, and dangerous household materials from local governments to the manufacturers that produce and sell them.

A producer-funded statewide system expands safe disposal opportunities for residents, increases collection of hazardous materials, and reduces environmental contamination by keeping these products out of landfills and wastewater systems. By placing responsibility with producers, the program also significantly reduces the high costs municipalities currently bear to manage household hazardous waste.