ICYMI: Rep. Weber Pens Op-Ed Highlighting the Need for Honest, Reliable Packaging Claims

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a new op-ed in 535 News, Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14) made the case for passing the bipartisan PACK Act to bring greater clarity and consistency to packaging claims nationwide. Rep. Weber detailed how conflicting state labeling requirements create confusion for families and higher costs for businesses, emphasizing the need for honest, reliable packaging claims that keep consumers informed.

In case you missed it…

It Shouldn't Take a Lawyer to Know What Belongs in the Recycling Bin

535 News
Congressman Randy Weber
July 21, 2026

Picture a mother standing in her kitchen, holding an empty container over two bins. Its label says recyclable, but her recycling program says it does not belong in the blue bin. She searches for instructions and still cannot tell where it should go.

She wants to do the right thing. She should not need a law degree to figure it out.

That moment plays out across America. Recycling symbols can mean one thing in Texas and another in California. Even packaging made from recyclable material may be rejected because of its shape, size, color, or the equipment available locally.

The result is confusion, higher costs, and more material in landfills.

California is making the problem even worse.

California's S.B. 343, dubbed the "Truth in Recycling", prohibits the use of the "chasing arrows" symbol or any other recyclability claim unless the product meets specific criteria determined solely by California.

California may govern itself, but its laws should not dictate how businesses operate nationwide. While there is an injunction against S.B. 343 for the moment, the issue remains that states are trying to create standards for what is labeled as recyclable (and compostable and reusable), when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) long had jurisdiction over claims on packages.

Companies cannot realistically create a different label for every state's definitions and standards. When California imposes its own standard, businesses may be forced to apply it nationwide. In effect, California's elected officials get to play Congress, writing rules for Americans who never voted for them.

Fortunately, Congress already has the bipartisan solution in the palm of its hand. I like to call it the PACK Act, short for the Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act.

Within the PACK Act, companies remain free to decide whether to label their packaging recyclable, compostable, or reusable. But once a company decides to make one of those claims, it has to prove it.

Every claim would first be verified by an accredited independent third-party certifier. When local access is limited, recyclable labels would have to say so. Compostable and reusable claims would have to live up to their promises too.

To make sure those protections are applied consistently across the country, the FTC would enforce the law and issue compliance guidance with input from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and technical experts. That would create one clear national framework, so a label that follows the rules in Texas is not forced to meet a different standard every time it crosses a state line.

At the end of the day, a mother standing over her recycling bin will have honest information about whether a package belongs there. Businesses that choose to make these claims will have certainty too, without being forced to spend more navigating a different standard in every state.

That kind of clarity and consistency is why the PACK Act has earned overwhelming support across the American marketplace. Families and businesses alike are ready for one honest, reliable national packaging standard.

This week, the PACK Act gets its day before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade during a hearing on "Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace."

In a town where bipartisan agreement is hard to come by, the PACK Act has brought both sides to the table. This hearing will show why the issue has cut through the Washington noise and why it is time to get it fixed.

If Congress fails to seize this moment, packaging-claim rules like California's could become the de facto national standard. Businesses will spend more navigating regulations and less on hiring workers or improving products. Small manufacturers may pull products from certain markets, while consumers pay more and understand less.

Families stretching their grocery budgets should not foot the bill for California's regulatory agenda. Main Street businesses should not need Sacramento's permission to sell nationwide. Without congressional action, the confusion will deepen, and the most restrictive state will continue setting policy for everyone else.

The PACK Act keeps consumers informed, businesses competitive, and the words on a package worth trusting. Congress must take this bipartisan bill across the finish line and send it to President Trump's desk.


We are the United States of America, not the United States of California. One state does not get to write the rules for the other 49.

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