Estimate your annual Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging fees across the seven U.S. states with enacted laws. Enter the tonnage of each covered material you place on a state's market, apply eco-modulation attributes, and compare your current packaging against redesign scenarios. Oregon and Colorado fees are live today; California uses CAA's draft 2027 fee schedule (Table 5 of the program plan filed June 15, 2026; final rates publish October 2026); Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington are modeled as projections until each state publishes its own rate schedule.
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Most enacted U.S. packaging EPR programs price fees on the weight and type of packaging a producer places on the market, adjusted for how recyclable or low-impact the design is. The calculator applies the standard fee formula used across these programs:
To use the interactive tool on the homepage:
The tool covers 16 material categories and every enacted state, and recalculates instantly as you change inputs.
The calculator includes all seven states with enacted packaging EPR laws. Only Oregon and Colorado have live fee obligations today; California uses CAA's draft 2027 schedule, and the rest are projections.
| State | Law | Fee Start | Status in Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | HB 3626 | July 1, 2025 - ACTIVE | Fees active |
| Colorado | HB 22-1355 | January 2026 - ACTIVE | Fees active |
| California | SB 54 | 2027 (post program plan approval) | Projected |
| Maine | LD 1423 | Late 2026, contingent on SO selection | Projected |
| Minnesota | HF 3911 | Feb 1, 2029 (50% cost-share) | Projected |
| Maryland | SB 901 | 2028 or later | Projected |
| Washington | E2SSB 5284 | 2029–2030 | Projected |
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees differ by state in both timing and structure. Oregon and Colorado charge published per-ton fees today, California has a draft 2027 fee schedule, Maine sets fees once its Stewardship Organization is selected, and Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington use a cost-share model that ramps to 90% of net recycling costs. The table below summarizes where EPR fees stand in each enacted state.
| State | Fees live? | When fees begin | How fees are set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Yes | July 1, 2025 - ACTIVE | Published 2025-26 fee schedule (per ton, by material) |
| Colorado | Yes | January 2026 - ACTIVE | Published 2026 dues schedule (per ton, by material) |
| California | No | 2027 (post program plan approval) | Draft 2027 schedule (program plan Table 5); final rates October 2026 |
| Maine | No | Late 2026, contingent on SO selection | Set once a Stewardship Organization is selected |
| Minnesota | No | Feb 1, 2029 (50% cost-share) | Cost-share model: 50% of net recycling costs, ramping to 90% |
| Maryland | No | 2028 or later | Cost-share model: 50% of net recycling costs, ramping to 90% |
| Washington | No | 2029–2030 | Cost-share model: 50% of net recycling costs, ramping to 90% |
Figures are for planning only and are not compliance advice; verify current rates with each state's producer responsibility organization or agency.
Base rates apply before eco-modulation and are drawn from Oregon's published 2025-2026 schedule. Rates rise sharply for hard-to-recycle materials. Per-pound figures are shown for reference (1 metric ton = 2,204.62 lb).
| Material / Packaging Type | Rate / Metric Ton | Rate / lb | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum, cans | $120 | $0.05 | Tier 1 |
| Clear PET (#1) | $500 | $0.23 | Tier 2-3 |
| HDPE Natural (#2) | $180 | $0.08 | Tier 1 |
| Steel | $200 | $0.09 | Tier 2-3 |
| Uncoated Paper/Board | $160 | $0.07 | Tier 1 |
| Corrugated | $160 | $0.07 | Tier 1 |
| HDPE Pigmented (#2) | $640 | $0.29 | Tier 4 |
| PP (#5) | $760 | $0.34 | Tier 4 |
| Glass | $200 | $0.09 | Tier 2-3 |
| LDPE Film / Mono-PE | $860 | $0.39 | Tier 4 |
| PS Rigid (#6) | $1,940 | $0.88 | Tier 4 |
| Expanded Polystyrene | $2,760 | $1.25 | Tier 4 |
Tier 1 (low fee): widely recycled materials such as aluminum, clear PET, and corrugated. Tier 4 (high fee): hard-to-recycle materials such as expanded polystyrene, PVC, multi-layer laminates, and metallized film.
Eco-modulation raises or lowers the base fee based on packaging design. It works differently in each state:
Because Oregon and Colorado cap or limit reductions, eco-modulation lowers fees modestly rather than eliminating them. The biggest savings usually come from switching out high-tier materials, not from credits alone.
EPR fees are charged on the packaging you place on the market, so the most accurate way to estimate them is per SKU, built up from a packaging bill of materials. List every component of the SKU (primary container, closure, label, and any film or secondary packaging), record each component's material type and weight, multiply each weight by that material's state base rate per ton, and add the components together. Then apply any eco-modulation credit the SKU qualifies for to get the per-SKU fee.
A per-SKU view shows which products and which components drive the most fee exposure, which is where packaging redesign pays off first. The per-SKU (bill of materials) calculator on the EPR Atlas homepage builds this up component by component and lets you compare a SKU against redesign scenarios side by side.
The interactive fee calculator, the per-SKU (bill of materials) calculator, and the Ask Atlas assistant are all on the EPR Atlas homepage. For state-specific fee schedules, deadlines, and eco-modulation detail, see the deep dives.