The law is the easy part. The data isn’t.
Each report needs the material and weight of every bottle, cap, label, carton and shipper, times units sold into each state. That data sits with your suppliers.
Packaging EPR · six CAA states
Packaging EPR registration and annual reporting for consumer brands.
One flat yearly fee covers all six Circular Action Alliance states: Oregon, Colorado, California, Washington, Minnesota and Maryland. We prepare your registration, collect packaging specs from your suppliers, and prepare each report and its methodology. Your authorized representative reviews, certifies and submits. Plans from $3,900 a year.
Written answer in 2 business days: which states’ rules may apply, exemptions worth reviewing, and what 2027 fees may cost.
Packaging record
SKU 1042 · Sparkling Tea 12 oz · 2026 data
| Component | Material | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle | Glass, flint | 312.0 |
| Closure | PP #5 | 2.4 |
| Closure liner | LDPE #4 | 0.3 |
| Front label | Paper, coated | 1.1 |
| Carton (6-pack) | Paperboard | 96.5 |
| Shipper | Corrugated | 410.0 |
Units into OR: 18,240 · CO: 22,915 · CA: 61,3005 of 6 components verified
- Six states
- One flat yearly fee covers all of them.
- From $3,900
- Published prices. No hourly billing.
- By May 15
- Your finished report file and submission guide, two weeks before the deadline.
- You certify
- We prepare. You log in, certify and submit.
The short answer
What is packaging EPR?
Packaging EPR (extended producer responsibility) laws make the brands that sell packaged products pay for recycling the packaging. In Oregon, Colorado, California, Washington, Minnesota and Maryland, covered producers join Circular Action Alliance (CAA), report the materials and weights of the packaging they sell into each state, and pay fees based on those reports.
Who counts as a producer?
Usually the brand owner of the packaged product. Where there is no brand owner in the state’s chain, the definitions move to the licensee, importer or first distributor, and retailers are producers for their private-label goods. Each state’s law defines it a little differently, and CAA publishes producer-definition guidance for each state. You decide whether you’re a producer, with your counsel if you like; our free EPR Check lays the rule text next to your figures.
Read the plain-English guide to packaging EPR · Deadlines by state
Coverage
Six states. One yearly fee.
Circular Action Alliance runs the packaging programs in all six. State and CAA fees are separate and paid by you directly to CAA.
- OROregonAnnual supply report on 2026 data, due to CAA by May 31, 2027
- COColoradoAnnual supply report on 2026 data, due to CAA by May 31, 2027
- CACaliforniaAnnual reporting to CAA; 2027 date not yet published by CAA (as of October 31, 2026)
- WAWashingtonAnnual reporting to CAA; 2027 date not yet published by CAA (as of October 31, 2026)
- MNMinnesotaAnnual reporting to CAA; 2027 date not yet published by CAA (as of October 31, 2026)
- MDMarylandAnnually by May 31, per CAA
- Jan 1, 2027
California: covered producers must participate in an approved plan to keep selling covered packaging there.
- May 15, 2027
Our target: your finished report file and submission guide, two weeks before the deadline.
- May 31, 2027
Oregon and Colorado: annual reports on 2026 data due to CAA.
State facts checked October 31, 2026 against CAA’s state pages. Full state-by-state facts and sources.
Why brands come to us
The paperwork is simple to describe and slow to do.
California asks for more.
About 90 material categories, a count of every plastic component, and separate source-reduction reports.
Mistakes cost money.
Late payments carry a compounding monthly charge. A late or inaccurate report can draw a CAA charge of up to $5,000, or more where the fees on the misreported material are higher. Oregon DEQ publishes a list of producers it hasn’t seen register, report or pay.
Who does what
Clear lines. You keep every decision.
We prepare
- Your registration, ready for your sign-off
- Supplier spec requests, follow-ups and the evidence log
- The SKU-by-component packaging record
- Every report, its methodology and a submission guide made for it
- Fee forecast, deadline calendar and email answers to your questions
You decide and certify
- Whether you’re a producer in each state
- Review of each draft and the final figures
- Logging in to CAA’s portal, certifying and submitting
- Paying CAA and state fees directly to CAA
We never log into your CAA account, and we never file, sign or certify for you.
How it works
Four steps. You stay in control of every report.
- 01
Free EPR Check
Tell us your revenue band, states, SKU count and sales channels. We reply in writing within 2 business days. It’s general information for your decision, not legal advice.
- 02
Send what you have
SKU list, an order export and your supplier list. No software to learn.
- 03
We do the legwork
Supplier spec requests and follow-ups, the packaging record, category mapping, the methodology write-up.
- 04
You certify and submit
We deliver your finished report file by May 15, two weeks before the deadline, with a step-by-step submission guide made for your report: annotated screenshots of each CAA portal screen and the exact values to enter. You log in, certify and submit. We answer any questions, including CAA follow-ups, by email.
What you get
Your EPR file, every year.
Every plan includes the same ten deliverables, for all six states. You own the record and the evidence behind it.
Not included: we don’t provide legal opinions, lab testing or packaging redesign, and CAA and state fees are paid by you directly to CAA. Maine is monitored only, until Maine has a stewardship organization.
- 01Registration, prepared for your sign-off
With Circular Action Alliance; California within 5 business days of your go-ahead.
- 02Supplier spec collection
Precise requests, two follow-ups, every answer logged.
- 03A packaging record you own
SKU by component: material, weight, recycled content and the evidence for each value.
- 04Every annual and simplified report
Prepared with a written methodology.
- 05California extras
Baseline, source-reduction report and plan updates.
- 06Fee-reduction (eco-modulation) forms
When the saving is worth the effort.
- 07Fee forecast
By state and material, for your finance team.
- 08Deadline calendar
Plus a short status email each month in reporting season.
- 09Submission guide and email support
Annotated screenshots of each portal screen with the exact values to enter; your questions and CAA follow-ups answered by email.
- 10Obligation map, for your decision
The rule text for each state laid next to your figures.
Prices
Published prices. All six states in every plan.
Pay half to start and half when your May report is ready for sign-off. Catch-up years are $1,500 each. CAA and state fees are separate.
Our guarantee
On time, or that year is free.
Conditions: data in by our date (April 15 for May reports) and sign-off within 3 business days of our draft.
What we put on the line
- On time, or that year is free
- If a report we’re responsible for is late because of us, we refund that year’s fee and cover CAA charges caused by our delay, up to $2,500.
- Rejection fix
- If CAA rejects or questions a report we prepared, we fix it at no charge for you to resubmit.
- Court-pause credit
- If a court pauses a state’s program, the unused share of that state’s work carries over to next year.
Who we work with
Consumer brands from about $5M to $50M in revenue.
Usually 5 to 150 SKUs and no one on staff whose job is packaging compliance. The free check lists each state’s small-producer thresholds next to the figures you give us, so you can decide whether one applies.
- Food and beverage
- Wine and spirits
- Beauty
- Household
- Pet
- Toys
- Outdoor
Questions
Frequently asked
We already registered with CAA. Are we done?
Usually not. Registration starts the obligation; the annual reports and fees follow every year.
Do you decide whether we’re a producer?
No. We lay out the facts and the rule text for each state; you decide, with your counsel if you like. We’re not a law firm and don’t give legal advice.
Who signs the reports?
Your primary contact or authorized representative certifies every report. We deliver the finished report file with a step-by-step submission guide made for your report, and you log in, certify and submit yourself. We never log into your CAA account, and we never file, sign or certify for you. We answer questions, including CAA follow-ups, by email.
What if a supplier won’t send specs?
We follow up twice, then use a documented estimate (dimensions and material, or a unit you weigh with our 1-page guide) and say so in the methodology. Estimates get replaced when real specs arrive.
What about the lawsuits?
Oregon: a federal district court upheld the law on August 27, 2026, and an appeal is pending at the Ninth Circuit. California: a challenge has a hearing on January 15, 2027, with no injunction in place. How any ruling affects your company is a question for your own counsel; we track the cases but don’t give legal advice. If a court pauses a state’s program, our court-pause credit applies. (As of October 31, 2026.)
Is our packaging data kept confidential?
Yes. We use it only to prepare your reports and keep it confidential under our client agreement. You own the record.
Are you affiliated with CAA or any state?
No. EPR Filing HQ is an independent service of Voraus LLC. Despite the name, we do not file, sign or certify reports for you: we prepare them, and you (the producer) certify and submit.
Free EPR Check
Find out where you stand in 2 business days.
A written EPR Check: which states’ rules may apply, exemptions worth reviewing, and a 2027 fee estimate in dollars. Free, and general information for your decision, not legal advice.
Get your free EPR Check
Five minutes of your time. Or email [email protected].