Plastics industry-backed $500 million recycling plan re-upped in Washington

One of the plastics industry's main pieces of recycling legislation, a $500 million federal grant program, was reintroduced in the new Congress April 5. But the measure has also picked up new criticism from other industry groups that argue it's too narrow.

Both the Plastics Industry Association and the American Chemistry Council hailed the reintroduction of the bill, the Realizing the Economic Opportunities and Value of Expanding Recycling Act.

Similar to when the bill was introduced in the last Congress in 2019, it would set up a $500 million matching grant program for states and local governments to improve recycling infrastructure and education, as well as create a program within the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in technology and collection.

"Recycling infrastructure is essential to America's infrastructure," said Plastics Industry Association President and CEO Tony Radoszewski. "This bipartisan bill will improve recycling infrastructure so valuable materials can be reclaimed and repurposed and not end up in our oceans and waterways."

The legislation has bipartisan sponsors, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., and Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind.

Some recycling and solid waste industry groups, however, criticized the Recover Act, saying it doesn't properly tackle some key problems.

The Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries said in an April 7 statement that "the Recover Act doesn't adequately focus on the key impediments to residential recycling — that is eliminating contamination."

ISRI favors another piece of federal legislation: the Recycle Act, which was reintroduced in Congress March 23 by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives. That bill would authorize $15 million a year over five years for recycling education.

"ISRI believes the Recycle Act is better suited to enhance recycling by addressing contamination on materials coming into the recycling stream and spurring markets for recycled commodities," the association said.

As well, the National Waste & Recycling Association, which represents private sector waste haulers, issued a statement saying the Recover Act "does not address the key role that the private sector plays in this and, in fact, places it at a competitive disadvantage."

NWRA said it was talking with Cárdenas and Bucshon about broadening their bill to include tax incentives and regulatory changes.

In a statement distributed by the plastics association, both Cárdenas and Bucshon said recycling infrastructure suffers from inadequate investment in the United States and said the Recover Act is designed to stimulate new funding by local and state governments.

Cárdenas said recycling should be considered similarly to investments in clean energy technology, and Bucshon noted increasing contamination.

"Our nation is facing a recycling crisis due to inadequate infrastructure and the inability to keep up with waste stream contamination," Bucshon said.

ACC said the public investment in the Recover Act would complement what it says has been several billion dollars in private investment in plastics recycling since 2017.

"We strongly support this legislation, which would provide $500 million in federal matching grants over five years to state and local governments to modernize recycling infrastructure for all materials," said Joshua Baca, ACC's vice president of plastics.

But other groups like the Recycling Partnership have noted that at least $9 billion would be needed for a basic upgrade of U.S. local recycling programs.