Advocacy

Senate Introduces PPP Funding for Waste & Recycling

U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Senator John Boozman (R-AR), and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to cover waste and recycling collection services. This legislation would allow for waste and recycling collection services to be allowable expenses under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and eligible for loan forgiveness under the CARES Act. 

This is the same intent as legislation previously introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 29. However, the language in the Senate version is different as a result of outreach by Senate staff to SWANA. In the House version “waste and recycling collection” is added to a list of other covered utility payments, while the Senate version instead places “covered waste and recycling collection services payments” separate from utilities. This reflects the traditional recognition of waste and recycling as separate from those activities and not subject to the same regulation. 

China Committed to Banning All “Solid Waste” Imports by 2021

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has reiterated the country’s intent to ban nearly all “solid waste” imports by the end of 2020 as part of its ongoing National Sword efforts. Despite restrictions on plastic and mixed paper recycling imports that went into effect in 2018, China remains a major partner in the international trade of other materials. From January through May 2020, China imported 31% of all U.S. recovered fiber exports.

While the Chinese government states that it is banning all “solid waste,” it is unclear what materials are included and how this will affect scrap recycling imports. Further clarity is still being sought on how it will be defined. It is likely that the Chinese market for recyclables will be further restricted. This will come into effect at the same time that other international agreements will be further limiting trade of plastics.

House and Senate Hold Hearings on Plastics & Recycling, SWANA Submits Testimony

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate held hearings on sustainable material management in June and July. As the nation continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges facing recycling in the United States are coming back to the forefront. 

On June 17, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held an oversight hearing, “Responding to the challenges facing recycling in the United States,” during which witnesses spoke about potential improvements to recycling infrastructure, with a particular focus on plastics and the effects of the coronavirus. 

SWANA submitted written testimony on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on recycling programs and facilities, noting the decrease in recovered material from commercial customers such as schools, offices, and stores. At the same time, SWANA described how residential waste and recycling volume increased nationwide in March and April, though it has declined from the peak of about twenty percent higher than normal.

Other impacts identified in SWANA’s written testimony included operational changes at recycling facilities to keep workers safe, the temporary suspension of some curbside collection programs, and additional personal protective equipment provided by employers in response to concerns about exposure expressed by front-line workers.  

The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing on July 7 to examine the health impacts of plastic production. The hearing, “Plastic Production, Pollution and Waste in the Time of Covid-19: The Life-Threatening Impact of Single Use Plastic on Human Health,” invited witnesses to speak about how plastic manufacturing affects communities, as well as the role that plastics have played in the response to COVID-19. 

Witnesses spoke about the effects that plastic production can have on human health, particularly on those living closest to facilities that manufacture it. The increased use of single-use plastics for PPE and other products as a result of COVID-19 was also discussed. 

Two legislative solutions to single-use plastics were touted during the hearing. The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, currently supported only by Democrats in the House, would ban certain single-use plastic items, establish extended producer responsibility for packaging, and put a temporary halt to new permits for facilities that manufacture plastics in the United States. The bipartisan RECOVER Act was also discussed which would provide funding for improved infrastructure and public education to address contamination and increase plastic recycling, along with other materials. SWANA has publicly supported the RECOVER Act. 

House Democrats Address Sustainable Materials Management in Climate Plan

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis introduced an extensive action plan that would address climate change from a variety of angles, including through materials recovery and recycling infrastructure. The Democrat-developed climate plan calls for expanding and standardizing existing local recycling infrastructure and the creation of new domestic infrastructure to handle materials. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, supported by SWANA, is cited as legislation that would address those needs.  

The plan also highlights other legislation that has been introduced in the House of Representatives, including the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act and Zeroing Excess, Reducing Organic Waste, and Sustaining Technical Expertise (ZERO WASTE) Act. 

California Commission on Recycling Markets & Curbside Recycling Seeking Input

In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law The California Recycling Market Development Act, which in part requires CalRecycle to convene a Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling consisting of representatives of public agencies, private solid waste enterprises, and environmental organizations that have expertise in recycling.

The 17-member Commission has now been appointed and Heidi Sanborn, SWANA’s Materials Recovery Private Sector Delegate to the Advisory Board, has been elected chair of the Commission. SWANA members and others from across the country are encouraged to follow the work of the Commission and consider submitting public comments. The Commission is composed of four committees, Labeling and Public Education, Market Development, Recycling and Organics, which are scheduled to next meet on July 31 and August 3. 

Interested persons can follow the Commission work by signing up for automatic notices through their listserv. To submit public comments, please use the portal and then use the workshop link from the drop-down menu.