Tracking the future of US recycling policy in Congress

Sept. 27: The most recent updates to this tracker include the Strategic EV Management Act's introduction in the House. Groups representing packaging companies (including AMERIPEN, the Consumer Brands Association and the American Chemistry Council) are also calling on House lawmakers to pass the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act and Recycling and Composting Accountability Act. Plus, dozens of lawmakers are calling on the General Services Administration to reduce purchases of single-use plastics in government supply chains.

International trade decisions, fluctuating commodity markets and concerns about infrastructure have taken a toll on U.S. recycling programs in the past few years, sparking Congress and the Biden administration to take action on a number of recycling-related initiatives. The coronavirus pandemic stalled legislative momentum in 2020 — with the exception of Save Our Seas 2.0 — but the bills made a comeback in the latest session.

The proposed legislation could dramatically change the way the U.S. handles recycling in the next few years, whether it’s through infrastructure investments, organics recycling, education, product bans, or bottle bills and extended producer responsibility initiatives. If you have any updates, please email waste.dive.editors@industrydive.com.

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