08/11/2026
Last month, CPSC co-hosted the 8th annual CFEE Recycling Challenge Tour in Texas! Executive Director Doug Kobold and Assistant Director Dr. Joanne Brasch joined state delegates and industry leaders to compare notes on policy, business innovation, and infrastructure across state lines.
From local disposal systems to NASA’s Space Center, the tour highlighted how regional infrastructure and state policy shape the circular economy:
🔹 Innovation in Action: Habitat Austin is creating a national blueprint for ReStores by using an NSF-funded partnership with ReCreateIt to 3D-print new home goods on-site from unrecyclable plastic waste.
🔹 Recyclers Following Demand: Homegrown California operations like CEAR, Inc. (e-waste) and Visions Paints (recycled paint) are expanding into Texas to meet growing demand, while maintaining their CA facilities.
🔹 Policy & Market Drivers: Reju presented on how California’s first-in-the-nation Textile EPR law ( ) is motivating recycling facilities, while discussing the hurdles of opening manufacturing facilities in-state.
🔹 End-to-End Processing: AFPA arranged a tour of the smurfit westrock paper mill to see the full transformation of paper bales into finished packaging.
The Bottom Line: Recycling is real... and it isn't free. The highest priority on the waste hierarchy is always reduction and reuse - buying less, repairing more, and keeping materials in circulation. But for materials at the end of their useful life, California needs transparent, accountable EPR programs to retain processing capacity, protect communities, and ensure materials are safely managed.
Thank you to all the host facilities and delegation members who made this trip a success!
National Stewardship Action Council Google Rural County Representatives of California CalRecycle Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) Republic Services California Retailers Association Resource Recovery Coalition of California
