The U.S Plastics Pact has released a report outlining how policies can accelerate composting infrastructure, support compostable packaging systems and divert food waste and food-contaminated materials from landfills.
Titled ‘Enabling Composting at Scale’, the resource highlights the sustained investment, policy frameworks and coordinated system design the Pact believes is required to advance a circular economy for food and packaging in the United States. It outlines the policy approaches needed to align standards, scale infrastructure and ensure compostable packaging plays a complementary role alongside recycling systems.
USPP says compostable packaging can provide a practical solution for heavily food-contaminated items that are not recyclable, such as food waste generated in settings such as stadiums, festivals and airports. It adds that allowing food and its associated packaging to be collected together can help reduce contamination in recycling streams while improving the efficiency and quality of composting operations.
The main focus of the report is expanding access to industrial composting infrastructure at a comparable scale to nationwide recycling systems. USPP cites 2025 data from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition which states that only 35.9% of the U.S. population currently has access to drop-off or kerbside food waste collection. The paper describes policy approaches including state and federal grants and loans, extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs and procurement requirements for compost and compostable products.
It also examines landfill bans, diversion requirements and local ordinances that can expand processing capacity, reduce hauling distances and strengthen community participation in composting programmes. The USSP emphasizes the role of foodservice ordinances and labelling laws in supporting composting systems, noting that consistent national labelling and identification standards are needed to reduce contamination and help consumers correctly identify compostable products, so that the materials end up in the appropriate collection stream.
In related news, Eco-Products officially partnered with the San Diego Padres in a bid to support composting and recycling streams at their home stadium and divert gameday waste away from landfills. This approach is set to avoid contamination and allow Petco Park’s janitorial team to sort compostable and recyclable materials for appropriate disposal.
Back in March, the USPP set out its vision for a successful reuse system in retail: a return-on-the-go model for food, home, and personal care products, starting in regions with existing reuse infrastructure. The Scoping Phase was conducted between October 2025 and January 2026, consisting of interactive educational sessions and workshop discussions among companies and organizations including Unilever, Kraft Heinz, Henkel, and L’Occitane en Provence.
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