Advocacy Updates: Canada Landfill Regulations, Recycling Grants & Legislation, PFAS, and More
SWANA provides its Core Advocacy Group with regular updates on policies that may impact the work SWANA members, along with recent advocacy activity.
Canada Landfill Methane Regulations Finalized
The Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced a final suite of regulations focused on methane emissions, including the Landfill Methane Regulations. The final regulations will be published in Canada Gazette, Part II on December 31, 2025. SWANA previously submitted comments on the proposed regulations.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will be holding webinars in English and French to overview the regulations:
- Register for the English language webinar on January 7, 2026, at 1:30pm – 3:00pm ET.
- Register for the French language webinar on January 8, 2026, at 1:30pm – 3:00pm ET.
ECCC also finalized the Technical Guidance Document on Estimating, Measuring and Monitoring Landfill Methane and the accompanying Landfill Methane Modeling Tool, which may be accessed via the LMR Google drive, established by ECCC to provide access to documents referenced in the regulations. ECCC point of contact: rmle-lmr@ec.gc.ca
US EPA Recycling Grant Recipients Announced
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a recent round of recipients of the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling, or SWIFR, grants. The $58 million in funding is split between 17 projects. More than 300 local governments applied for funding. Congratulations from SWANA to all the recipients!
EPA will also be awarding SWIFR funding for tribes and tribal consortia in 2026. Applications for that funding are due Jan. 23, 2026.
US Recycling Legislation in Progress
SWANA is a proud supporter of the Cultivating Investment in Recycling and Circular Local Economies (CIRCLE) Act, HR4466, which would provide a Recycling Infrastructure Investment Tax Credit to support US recycling infrastructure. SWANA recently attended a Congressional Briefing on the role of recycling in the economy, hosted by The Recycling Partnership in conjunction with the House Recycling Caucus. SWANA also met with the House Ways and Means staff to discuss the proposed legislation. Learn more about the proposed legislation and how your organization can support.
SWANA supports the Senate-passed REUSE Act of 2025 and STEWARD Act of 2025. The bipartisan REUSE Act of 2025 directs the EPA to develop a comprehensive report on the feasibility and best practices of reuse and refill systems while the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act would establish the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program at the EPA.
National Textile Circularity Working Group Established
SWANA is a member of the national Textile Circularity Working Group recently established by the National Stewardship Action Council and Stewardship Action Foundation to collaborate on solutions for textile reuse and recycling. SWANA took part in the first meeting to lay the groundwork for identifying solutions and will continue participating to gather resources to share with SWANA members and to offer support in advancing textile circularity.
US Congress Holds Hearings on PFAS
Today, the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment's hearing titled Examining the Impact of EPA's CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund Liability Concerns discussed the PFAS current statutory and regulatory landscape. If you have any questions concerning the hearing, contact Committee Staffer Jackson Rudden, Jackson.Rudden@mail.house.gov. View the hearing announcement: Chairmen Guthrie and Palmer Announce Hearing on Assessing the Current Statutory and Regulatory Landscape for PFAS.
On November 19, the US Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee's hearing examined the future of PFAS cleanup and disposal policy. SWANA Senior Director of Public Policy and Communications, Kristyn Oldendorf, attended on behalf of SWANA. Several senators spoke of the need to create standards for PFAS disposal and establish certain exemptions for passive receivers. Details and a recording of the hearing may be viewed on the Senate EPW website.
Stay in Touch!
Visit https://swana.org/news for regular SWANA news and announcements. Please contact me at koldendorf@swana.org to provide input on SWANA positions and to provide updates on your chapter advocacy activities.