Jan. 3: The most recent update to this tracker is the Food Donation Improvement Act being included in budget legislation signed by President Biden on Dec. 29. The bill aims to update liability protections and expand food recovery efforts.

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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