The Future of Recycling Policy in the U.S.

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As the U.S. faces a growing waste management crisis, lawmakers are introducing a variety of new measures to combat key issues such as diverting organics from landfills, advancing chemical recycling, and banning single-use plastics and foam foodservice packaging.

The proposed legislation could dramatically change the way the U.S. handles recycling over the next few years, with the potential for vast improvements in infrastructure, together with advances in organics recycling, education, product bans, bottle bills and requirements for extended producer responsibility (EPR) initiatives.

State Recycling-Related Bills

We have summarized some of the most important recent recycling and waste legislation that has been passed, state by state:

State

Bill

Category

Breakdown of the bill
Alaska HB143 Chemical Recycling
Bill reclassifies chemical or advanced recycling as a manufacturing process.
California SB353, SB1013 Bottle Recycling
Expanded the types of bottles that may be recycled, including 100% juice, wine & distilled spirits.  They also offer a $0.25 refund for difficult to recycle bottles, $0.05 for bottles holding less than 24 ounces and $10 for bottles holding over 24 ounces
… Click here to view the full chart of all waste and recycling legislation, state by state

Federal Recycling-Related Bills

We have also summarized some of the most important recent recycling and waste legislation that has been passed federally:

Bill

Summary

Status
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.

 Reintroduced March 25; referred to the Senate Committee on Finance

 
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.

 Introduced March 2; multiple committee hearings as recently as June 29

 
… Click here to view the full chart of the progress of all federal waste and recycling legislation

National Recycling Strategy

The EPA has set a National Recycling Strategy to reach 50% national recycling by 2030. With nationwide recycling levels having stayed in the low 30 percent range for the past 20 years, this goal will require a significant leap in capacity and capability.

There are three objectives to the National Recycling Strategy:

  • Reduce contamination in recycling. This is reducing the percentage of wrong materials in the recycling stream, helping to ensure that clean recyclable materials such as paper and glass can be processed and made into new products. This will be achieved through public education and outreach. It will be measured by calculating the percentage of contaminants in recycled materials.
  • Make recycling processing systems more efficient. Improve our processing system by investing in new equipment upgrades and making curbside recycling accessible for more Americans. It will be measured by tracking the percentage of materials successfully recycled through a recycling facility compared to the materials that the facility receives.
  • Strengthen economic markets for recycled materials. This calls for a need to educate the public about the importance of buying recycled and increase demand through policies and incentives that focus on materials with less mature markets. They will measure this by tracking the average price of a ton of recycled materials (the commodity value) on the market.

NWA Tracks the Legislation That Affects Your Business

This shifting legislative landscape can leave businesses uncertain of their obligations across the breadth of their operations, making them vulnerable to the possibility of fines or penalties for non-compliance.

But when you partner with National Waste Associates (NWA), you don’t have to worry. We constantly track new laws and regulations across the United States, all the way from state level down to municipality. This way, we’re able to give you advanced notice of any legislative changes that will affect your business, so you have time to make the necessary changes. We then provide operational support and expertise to ensure a smooth transition.

Our experts are already working with impacted sites to get them ready for the next rounds of legislation that will kick in throughout the year – and beyond.

When it comes to compliance, NWA’s got your back.

Want to understand how future legislation might affect your operations?
Contact us at 1-888-692-5005 ext. 6, or
email us at sales@nationalwaste.com

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