CEO Column

By: David Biderman, SWANA CEO and Executive Director

Remember before COVID-19, when recycling was the number one topic for many solid waste professionals? To quote the great Yogi Berra, “it’s déjà vu all over again.”

This past summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a work group on a weekly basis to develop proposed “national recycling goals.” SWANA staff and members participated in this workgroup, and EPA sought feedback on the goals in early September. SWANA solicited feedback on them from the Core Advocacy Group and the Recycling Task Force, and submitted comments earlier this month. The goals are intended to “drive participation, innovation, and progress across the entire value chain.” EPA will review the comments and announce the goals, which are intended to be key performance metrics, at the America Recycles Summit on November 17.

EPA has also been working on developing a draft National Recycling Strategy that identifies the objectives and actions needed to create a stronger, more resilient recycling system in the United States. The three key components of the strategy are: (1) reducing contamination; (2) increasing materials processing efficiency; and (3) Strengthening Markets for Recycled Materials. SWANA provided substantial input into the development of the draft strategy, which was released earlier this week.  EPA’s draft recycling goals and strategy will be discussed by Assistant Administrator Peter Wright, who was a terrific keynote speaker in Boston in February 2020, at the SWANA/ISRI MRF Summit next month.

In case you missed the announcement, we are collaborating with ISRI to hold a virtual MRF Summit on November 18-19. This event includes sessions that track closely with the three components of EPA’s draft national recycling strategy, and also includes sessions on federal policy, safety, and a look ahead at the domestic and international recycling landscape in 2021 by Adina Adler, ISRI’s dynamic and (pre-COVID) well-traveled Vice President for Advocacy. If you are interested in recycling, you want to attend this event.

The MRF Summit will also feature a prominent staffer from Congress who has been heavily engaged on recycling legislation for the past few years. Last week, the House of Representatives passed Save Our Seas 2.0, bipartisan legislation that would expand federal efforts to combat marine debris, and includes a provision authorizing $55 million per year for five years for grants to states to implement EPA’s recycling strategy and improve material management infrastructure. SWANA supports this legislation. A slightly different version passed the Senate in January 2020, and it is unclear whether there is time to reconcile the differences before Congress’ Term ends at the end of the calendar year.

Why all the increased attention on recycling, yet again? There have been two developments that are expected to substantially reduce export markets for recovered materials next year. First, China announced it would ban all imported solid waste starting January 2021. This final implementation of National Sword primarily impacts cardboard and scrap metal, which have been exported to China in decreasing quantities the past few years. Second, an amendment to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel) governing discarded and scrap plastic take effect on January 1, 2021. The Basel Amendment will make it more difficult to export many types of recovered plastic to other countries.

In response to the Basel Amendment, the United States and Canada are holding talks about a bilateral agreement to preserve trade in discarded and scrap plastic between the two countries. SWANA was invited to participate in stakeholder calls about this possible arrangement by both the U.S. and Canadian governments, and we are cautiously optimistic that a deal will be reached.

There’s a lot going on concerning recycling this Fall, and I haven’t even mentioned technology, robotics, or the restoration of many curbside recycling programs that were temporarily suspended in the Spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of reasons to register for the MRF Summit and better understand the challenges and opportunities that local recycling programs and companies face in the months and years ahead. So please register for this important November 2020 SWANA event.

And hopefully, if you live in the United States, you are already registered for that other important thing occurring in November 2020.