Minnesota Opens Comment on Its Draft Needs Assessment

MPCA has published the draft 2026 Needs Assessment for the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, prepared by Eunomia Research & Consulting, and opened a 60-day public comment period. Comment opened September 14, 2026 and closes November 13, 2026. The draft runs to 13.8 MB with a separate appendices archive.

Minn. Stat. 115A.144 to 115A.1463 requires MPCA to complete a needs assessment in 2026 and every five years after that. Five things are in scope: an official baseline for recycling rates including proposed statewide requirements, recommendations on where to invest in collection, sorting and end markets, a recommended methodology for service provider reimbursement rates, an evaluation of sustainable design and accountability for covered materials, and best practices for education and outreach.

What this means for you: the reimbursement methodology is the half that eventually sets what producers pay. Minnesota has no live fee obligation yet and its 50 percent cost share does not start until February 1, 2029, so this is the cheapest point at which to influence the number. If you sell into Minnesota and you only track deadlines that invoice you, this one will not appear on your calendar and it closes in eight weeks. Source: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act 2026 Needs Assessment (September 14, 2026).