If you’ve ever stood at your recycling bin wondering whether a package’s chasing arrows symbol means you can actually recycle it, you’re not alone. A new bill in Congress, the PACK Act, aims to change that.

On December 18, U.S. Representative Randy Weber (R-Texas) introduced the Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act (PACK Act), a bill that would establish the first federal framework for recyclable, compostable, and reusable claims on consumer packaging. The bill faces a long road in Congress, but it represents a potential bipartisan path to a more mature recycling system.

According to a McKinsey & Company survey, two-thirds of consumers are not confident they know which products are recyclable. Nearly half of Americans incorrectly believe plastic bags can go in curbside recycling bins, according to research by The Recycling Partnership.

A Patchwork of Confusion

The current landscape of packaging labels in the United States is a regulatory maze. The Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, last updated in 2012, provide guidance on environmental marketing claims but lack the force of law. But the FTC cannot preempt state regulations, which has created what packaging industry groups call a “patchwork” of conflicting requirements that creates compliance headaches for businesses and confusion for consumers.

“Retailers, consumer packaged goods companies, and their suppliers are facing a patchwork of state laws related to making recyclable, compostable, and reusable claims on packaging,” explains Ameripen, the packaging industry trade group that has championed the PACK Act.

“This is leading to interstate commerce issues for businesses and causing consumer confusion on how to dispose of packaging.”

California’s SB 343, set to take effect in October 2026, is among the most stringent state-level approaches. Under this “Truth in Labeling” law, packaging cannot display the familiar chasing arrows or other recyclability claims unless the material meets two 60% thresholds: it must be collected by curbside recycling programs serving at least 60% of California’s population, AND be sorted into defined streams by facilities serving at least 60% of the state’s recycling programs. The intent is to ensure industry takes action to follow through on recyclability claims.

What the PACK Act Would Do

The PACK Act takes a different approach, establishing a voluntary federal standard that would preempt state laws. According to Waste Dive, the bill would amend the Federal Trade Commission Act to establish parameters for recyclable, compostable, and reusable claims, including mandatory third-party certifications.

“Americans want to do the right thing, but misleading labels make that harder,” Rep. Weber said in a statement. “The PACK Act cuts through that confusion. It’s pro-environment, pro-business, and rooted in common sense, all while holding companies accountable and giving consumers clear, honest information they can trust.”

Key provisions of the PACK Act  include:

• Third-party certification requirements: All recyclable, compostable, and reusable claims on consumer packaging must be backed by accredited third-party certification bodies. This allows independent parties to verify that packaging meets industry standards and follows FTC guidance. It’s worth noting that How2Recycle, the widely-used on-pack labeling system, is not a third-party certification scheme—it’s a membership-based program that helps brands communicate disposal instructions. Under the PACK Act, actual certification would come from bodies like the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), which certifies compostability, or similar accredited organizations.
• Prohibition on misleading symbols: Packaging that doesn’t meet the stated parameters would be prohibited from bearing resin identification codes surrounded by chasing arrows, intended to reduce consumer confusion caused by the recycling symbol appearing on items that aren’t actually recyclable in most communities.
• One national standard: States would be prohibited from enacting or enforcing any legal requirement that is not identical to federal requirements, creating one national standard rather than 50 different state approaches.
• FTC oversight with EPA input: The bill continues to vest the FTC with primary authority but calls on the agency to work with the Environmental Protection Agency and establish an advisory council of experts. Both agencies are under attack by the Trump Administration, which has cut their budgets and argued for reducing or eliminating their authority.

Industry Supports The PACK Act

The PACK Act has significant industry support. A coalition of  packaging companies, consumer goods manufacturers, and trade associations backs the legislation, including Amcor, Anchor Packaging, Dart, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestlé USA, and dozens of trade groups ranging from the Plastics Industry Association to the Biodegradable Products Institute and the Can Manufacturers Institute.

“This new framework will address concerns with the patchwork of state regulations and its negative effect on interstate commerce and consumer awareness regarding management of consumer packaging,” said Ameripen Executive Director Lynn Dyer in Weber’s press release.

Peter DePasquale, Vice President of Government Affairs at Keurig Dr Pepper, called the bill “a welcome step” toward establishing “a single, national framework for packaging claims.” He added that “by setting clear, national standards and certifications through credible third parties, this legislation helps ensure consumers receive accurate information while giving companies the consistency they need to innovate and accelerate investment in sustainable packaging solutions nationwide.”

“We believe that a federal law for the labeling of packaging for compostability, recyclability, and reusability that supports existing national labeling programs makes far greater sense than a state-by-state approach of passing related laws and will lead to more—not less—consumers properly handling flexible packaging at its end of life,” Flexible Packaging Association CEO Dan Felton said in a statement to Waste Dive.

Voluntary vs. Mandatory

A notable feature of the PACK Act is its voluntary nature. According to The Daily News of Galveston, Weber explained that “the industry came to us looking for a federal standard, and by making it voluntary we are allowing companies to choose to follow the guidelines to build consumer confidence.”

“Our hope is that when companies see consumers buying products with the PACK Act approval, they will want to join,” Weber said, suggesting that market pressure rather than mandates would drive adoption.

This approach differs significantly from California’s SB 343, which carries potential criminal penalties for non-compliance. Environmental advocates may question whether a voluntary framework will achieve the same level of accountability as mandatory state laws. This leaves consumers, not government, as the ultimate influence on brand decisions.

What This Means for Recycling’s Future

The PACK Act arrives at a pivotal moment for U.S. recycling policy. While no federal recycling legislation has been signed into law in 2025, multiple state bills have advanced, along with growing Congressional bipartisan support for several national changes, including the Steward Act, the Reuse Act, and the Circle Act, which would establish a 30% investment tax credit for recycling infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the FTC Green Guides have remained unchanged since 2012, despite the agency seeking public comment on potential updates in 2022. The effort “has been quiet under the Trump administration,” according to Packaging Dive.

The PACK Act may signal broader federal packaging rules on the horizon. Rob Waterfield, Ameripen’s policy director, told Packaging Dive that “if we could potentially see Congress enact the PACK Act in the next year, it could be a very good bellwether on what the appetite is” for federal extended producer responsibility frameworks.

View From The Curb

For American consumers trying to make environmentally conscious choices, the PACK Act stakes could change recycling dramatically.

The U.S. recycling system is at a turning point, one that could reduce confusion or compound it as the circular economy in packaging develops. The current single-stream system, which has been the subject of criticism for more than a decade, has not produced the clean, well-separated materials streams necessary to enable advanced manufacturing processes that reuse materials efficiently. Contamination rates, which foul recycling loads, remain stubbornly high, according to a 2025 report by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).

A 2025 National Academies of Sciences report on recycling notes that “inconsistent and misleading packaging labels, including the use of the chasing arrows symbol and resin identification codes, are significant causes of consumer uncertainty.”

According to The Recycling Partnership, only 60% of people know that food does not belong in recycling bins. This confusion has real consequences: contamination from improperly sorted materials can render entire batches of recyclables worthless, undermining the circular economy that sustainable packaging advocates envision.

The PACK Act’s proponents argue that clear, nationally consistent labeling backed by third-party verification could help restore consumer confidence in recycling programs and reduce contamination rates.

Rough Road Ahead?

The PACK Act now faces the deeply divided legislative decision-making process that is the House of Representatives. The bill’s bipartisan framing and broad industry support may give it a better chance than previous packaging-related legislation. However, environmental groups and state regulators who have invested in developing robust labeling standards may push back against federal preemption of state laws.

For consumers, the key takeaway is that a change to packaging labels may be coming, but it won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, the best approach remains to check with your local recycling program to understand what materials they actually accept, regardless of the symbols on packaging.

Whether the PACK Act succeeds or fails, it represents a significant acknowledgment that the current system isn’t working. The question now is whether federal action can succeed where state-by-state approaches have created confusion, and whether a voluntary framework can achieve the accountability that consumers and the environment need.