Federal Recycling-Related Bills

By Carmine Esposito, National Waste Associates

The following bills have been introduced to Congress within the last few years:

Bill	Summary
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act	Calls for EPR programs for packaging and a nationwide 10-cent beverage container deposit program. Aims to ban single-use plastic bags and expanded polystyrene foodservice containers, and discourage single-use plastic utensils and straws. Mandatory post-consumer recycled content minimums would increase from 25% by 2025 to 80% in 2040. Calls for more efforts to promote reusable and refillable containers, and to reduce microplastic pollution through pilot programs and other research.
CLEAN Future Act	Aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050. Aims to bring greenhouse gas emissions down 50% from 2005 levels by 2030. Calls for numerous waste and recycling efforts to achieve that goal, along with other energy, economic, infrastructure and job-related initiatives. Would establish post-consumer recycled content standards for certain products, implement a national bottle deposit program and direct the EPA to standardize the labeling and collection of recyclables. Would create a task force to establish an EPR system for certain products. Directs the EPA to develop grants for zero-waste initiatives, recycling and waste reduction education, and composting or anaerobic digestion projects.
COMPOST Act	Would provide $200 million a year through 2031 in grants and loan guarantees for composting infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act	Would fund roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure. Calls for improving residential recycling programs through public education and outreach, authorizing up to $15 million per year in grants through 2026. Other recycling-related provisions include sections related to battery recycling.
Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act	Would put a 5-cent per pound excise tax on virgin plastic used to make single-use products. Asks the Biden administration to negotiate international trade agreements or treaties to reduce virgin plastic production to 10% of 2010 levels by 2050.
PAPER Act	Aims to prevent waste-to-energy facilities from earning a tax credit when they use “commonly recycled” paper as a feedstock.
Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act	Aims to bolster the U.S. plastics recycling industry’s competitiveness in the global market while addressing plastic pollution issues.
RECOVER Act	Aims to boost infrastructure projects through up to $500 million in matching federal grants for improvements to MRFs, curbside collection systems and education programs.
RECYCLE Act	Now included in the INVEST in America Act, the bill focuses primarily on improving the effectiveness of residential recycling programs through public education and outreach.
Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act	Aims to restrict the export of “untested, non-working electronic scrap” from the U.S. in an effort to keep such material from causing pollution in other countries or being used by electronics counterfeiters.
Zero Food Waste Act	Would award a total of $650 million per year in EPA grants through fiscal year 2031 for programs and infrastructure projects meant to reduce or prevent food waste.
Zero Waste Act	Would authorize $150 million in grant funding each year from 2022 to 2031 for zero-waste projects such as organics recycling infrastructure, e-scrap recycling, source reduction programs, and other efforts meant to reduce waste and aid market development. Would also provide a total of $250 million in grants over that 10-year period for disposal diversion projects.

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