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New Mailing Standards for Hazardous Materials Outer Packaging and Nonregulated Toxic Materials: Proposed rule - The Postal Service is proposing to amend Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52) by requiring specific outer packaging strength standards when mailing hazardous materials or dangerous goods and remove quantity restrictions for nonregulated toxic materials. Additionally, the Postal Service proposes to allow mailers to use poly or padded bags as outer packaging for shipments containing lithium batteries installed in the equipment they operate if the shipment does not display hazardous text, markings or labels as permitted in sections 349 and 622.

The proposed Waste standard will revoke the current Inorganic Risk Material standard.
Major changes to the standard include the addition of offshore treatment providers and adjustment of treatment timeframes. There is also clarification of existing procedures and the widening of the range of commodities that can be imported (such as cardboard, paper, plastic, hazardous waste for destruction, scrap metal, and asbestos for destruction etc.).

5.3. Recyclable materials containing hazardous substances: Importation clearance is required for the importation of recyclable materials containing hazardous substances to prevent the entry, and/or transit, as well as keeping for storage and disposal of hazardous waste into the country to protect the environment. It serves as a stop gap measure to support the recycling industry in the Philippines. The importation clearance is only issued to registered importer in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through its Environmental Management Bureau-Central Office (EMB-CO).

Ministerial Resolution No. 272/2021 on National Waste Policy: The notified Ministerial Resolution promotes the reduction in plastic waste generation, under the National Waste Policy, prioritizing the sustainable use and consumption of reusable products and discouraging single-use plastic products that are unnecessary and have a very short shelf life. Measures include a ban, as from 31 January 2022, on the manufacture, importation, distribution, marketing, sale and delivery of any kind of single-use plastic straws that are not part of a product's presentation.

Materials in contact with food — Requirements for packaging materials: This Draft Uganda Standard provides requirements for food contact surfaces including packaging materials that are intended for that purpose and can be expected to come into contact with food under normal or foreseeable conditions of use. The standard does not include coverings or coatings and substances that are part of the food and may be eaten with it such as sausage skin for which other standards apply.

DUS 773:2022, Plastic carrier bags and flat bags — Specification, Second Edition: This Draft Uganda Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for plastic carrier bags and flat bags that are made from thermoplastic materials. This standard does not cover primary packaging such as barrier bags.

CDC 10 (443) DTZS, Bamboo drinking straw — Specification, 1st Edition: This Draft Tanzania Standard specifies the requirements, methods of sampling and test for bamboo drinking straws. It applies to naturally grown bamboo species.

Proposal for Legal Inspection Requirements for Polyvinyl Chloride Floorcoverings: Polyvinyl chloride (hereafter referred to as "PVC") products are possible to have plasticizer contamination, resulting in environmental hormone effects and carcinogenic risk due to the exposure to PVC. Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) is aware of 56% of randomly purchased PVC floorcoverings samples did not meet plasticizer content requirements of the standard. Considering the harmful effects of PVC to children and human health, the BSMI intends to regulate the safety and quality requirements for PVC floorcoverings. The conformity assessment procedure is Declaration of Conformity.

Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill: The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the National Environment Agency will be introducing a beverage container return scheme (otherwise commonly known as a Deposit Refund Scheme, Container Deposit Scheme or Bottle Bill) for Singapore. Under the scheme, a small deposit will be applied to certain beverage containers when consumers buy a pre-packaged beverage. Consumers can then claim a deposit refund by returning their empty beverage container to a designated return point. The beverage producers (i.e., importers, manufacturers) will pay for and/or run the scheme for the collection and recycling of the returned empty beverage containers. To help consumers identify containers covered under the Scheme, beverage containers must be labelled with a deposit mark. Otherwise, refunds could be wrongly claimed on beverage containers where a deposit was not paid in the first place, such as those bought overseas. The deposit mark will also facilitate the return of containers at manual return point locations.

DRS 499-1: 2022, Post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers — Specification — Part 1: Food grade PET recyclates, preforms and containers: 1.1 This Working Draft specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recyclates (flakes and pellets) for use in PET preforms and PET containers intended for food packaging excluding alcoholic beverages.
1.2 The standard also specifies requirements for the PET preform and container material that characterize it as safe for direct food contact.