Shifting the cleanup cost of packaging waste to companies could encourage greener packaging – but only if states are aligned

Some state legislatures are seeking ways to alleviate anxieties about plastic waste. Rowanswiki/Wikimedia Commons

Standing in your local retail store, it can be mind-boggling to try to weigh the pros and cons of all the packaging options. Take shampoo, for example. Shampoo can come in a rigid plastic bottle, a flexible squeeze tube, a refillable metal canister or a solid bar in a paperboard box.