Help create a more sustainable and healthier environment. Here are the actions our Zero Waste Task Force is focusing on this year.
PFAS Prevention Package
In 2021 we passed a ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging. This year we’re trying to expand the ban to other products we use everyday.
PFAS are toxic and are connected to many serious health problems including: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, reduced immune response, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, low birthweight babies, infertility, and other reproductive problems. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment. They’re toxic at very low levels—parts per trillion—and are building up in the environment.
The best way to address the problem is to stop producing PFAS.
Please contact your Minnesota Senator and ask them to support the 8 bills in the PFAS Prevention Package.
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Information Disclosure (HF3075 / SF3326): Minnesota needs an accurate picture of where PFAS chemicals are used and their purpose. This bill would require manufacturers to disclose the amount of PFAS they use, the products it’s used in, and how it’s used.
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Product prohibition: We need to reduce exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals in our homes and our environment, banning its use in:
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Ski wax (HF2952 / SF3441): PFAS in ski wax deposits directly into the environment and into our waterways as snow melts. It’s not an essential use for PFAS and is purely recreational.
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Cookware (HF2907 / SF3327): Cookware can be a direct and significant exposure to PFAS in our homes and bodies.
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Cosmetics (HF2906 / SF3403): Products that we put on our skin should not contain hazardous chemicals.
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Juvenile Projects (HF3571 / SF3669): Children are especially at risk from PFAS because smaller amounts are toxic during crucial stages of development.
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Carpet, furnishings, aftermarket treatments (HF3076 / SF3307): Stain resistance is convenient, but it means we are regularly exposed to PFAS in our homes.
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Outdoor wear, uniforms and other textiles (HF3076 / SF3345): PFAS is often used in weather-resistant clothing or as a stain-resistant additive. In some cases, just a couple of PFAS-coated jackets can cause unsafe contamination.
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Firefighting Foam Loophole Closure (HF3686): In 2019, Minnesota banned the use of PFAS firefighting foam for training purposes. We can do more by banning all uses of PFAS in firefighting foams that aren’t required by federal law.
Producer Responsibility for Packaging(HF4132)
Plastic pollution is a crisis—more recycling can’t fix it. This bill holds producers responsible for the cost of managing packaging waste. Brands will pay a fee for the type and amount of packaging material they use. The fees will be used to improve recycling systems, offset recycling costs, and pilot reuse/refill systems. This will also help:
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Reduce the amount of packaging produced
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Increase the recyclability of packaging
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Increase reuse/refill options
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Remove toxic chemicals in packaging
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Increase post-consumer content in packaging
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Reduce litter and reduce trash going to landfills
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Create clear, consistent labeling
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Reduce hard-to-recycle packaging
Contact your State Representative and Senator and ask them to support the Producer Responsibility Bill.