Advocacy

SWANA Calls on Congress to Support Local Governments

SWANA joined over 170 other organizations urging Congress to include direct relief to cities, towns, and villages in future federal assistance packages in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented coronavirus public health crisis has strained municipal budgets across the United States. This will in turn test their ability to provide essential services, including solid waste-related services, to communities in these critical times.

In response to these challenges, SWANA and others requested that Congressional leadership support legislation that would provide $500 billion of federal aid over two years to local governments. To ensure that all communities can receive assistance, the organizations ask that these funds be fairly and directly allocated without exclusions based on population. They should also provide equal funding overall for both municipal and county governments. Due to the extent and the complexity of the situation, maximum flexibility is requested for the eligible use of the funds to address the budget consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Municipal governments are incurring increased expenses and are taking in less revenue due to the pandemic, and this can be expected to continue for several years,” stated David Biderman, SWANA’s Executive Director and CEO. “This puts essential services that millions of Americans depend on every day at risk, including police, fire protection, and sanitation services. SWANA urges Congress to provide support to cities and other local governmental entities.”  SWANA’s support has attracted widespread attention in the solid waste industry trade press.

SWANA continues to advocate for the solid waste industry as it provides an essential service during the pandemic and beyond. This includes requesting federal investment in recycling infrastructure, urging priority COVID-19 testing for essential workers, and working with FEMA to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) and consider compensation for providing essential collection and disposal services that may otherwise go unfunded.

Paycheck Protection Program Funding for Waste & Recycling

On May 22, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would amend the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (CARES Act) so that payments for waste and recycling collection services could be included in the use of funds from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

The proposed legislation expands the use of PPP funds by adding “waste and recycling collection” to the list of other covered utility payments within the CARES Act.

SWANA has spoken with Congressional staff about the proposed bill and consulted with SWANA’s Core Advocacy Group to determine a position on the legislation going forward. We will continue to monitor the bill and provide updates on its progress as necessary.

Update on International Trade of Plastic Scrap & eWaste

SWANA recently participated in two industry stakeholder calls organized by the U.S. Department of State to provide updates on activity affecting the international trade of plastic scrap and electronic waste. This reflects SWANA’s increased engagement on national and international affairs affecting its membership.

Plastic Scrap

In 2018, Norway proposed an amendment of the trade of plastic waste to the  Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention). The intent was to label certain plastic wastes as hazardous, thereby increasing oversight and restrictions on their trade internationally. The SWANA Core Advocacy Group was notified of this proposal and approved SWANA joining a letter opposing the amendment due to concerns that it would hurt trade without leading to corresponding environmental or human health protections.

In 2019, the amendment was approved and it goes into force in January 2021. This international agreement is signed by 187 countries. Canada is a signatory, but the United States is not. As a non-signatory, the U.S. faces further restrictions with trading partners unless separate agreements are entered.

The U.S. Department of State, along with other federal agencies, organized an update call with industry stakeholders to discuss the changes to the Basel Convention, as well as the corresponding action taken by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), another international agreement among countries primarily with high-income economies. The OECD normally adopts any changes to the Basel Convention automatically. Due to disagreements among OECD member countries, however, adoption of the changes has not occurred in a full or modified version yet. It is unclear at this time what the next steps will be. The United States is a member of the OECD, and therefore is directly involved in the process, as opposed to the Basel Convention amendment process in which it was an observer.

As a result of confusion regarding application of the changes to the Basel Convention and the failure of the OECD to implement a path forward for member countries, further disruption of international plastic scrap trade is expected in the coming months. SWANA is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide further guidance as implementation continues.

Electronic Waste

In a second stakeholder call organized by the U.S. Department of State, participants were updated on a draft proposal by Switzerland and Ghana to amend the Basel Convention to change the waste electrical and electronic equipment listing within the Basel Convention. This is similar to what was done with plastic scrap and concerns are similar that it would restrict trade without affecting improvements to human health and the environment. It would also further limit U.S. trade, due to not being a signatory of the Basel Convention.

This proposal will be discussed as part of the Twelfth Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Basel Convention taking place from June 22 – July 5, 2020. SWANA is engaged with the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies on this issue and will provide updates to the as the proposal is further considered.