SWANA Applauds Passage of Save our Seas 2.0 Act

SWANA strongly supports the bill, which provides financial support to local programs, including recycling

Silver Spring, MD – The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) applauds Congress for passage of the bipartisan Save our Seas 2.0 Act ( S.1982). We urge President Trump to sign this important legislation. SWANA particularly thanks U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) for their leadership on this legislation.

SWANA strongly supported the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which improves the domestic response to marine debris, incentivizes international engagement to address marine debris, and helps strengthen infrastructure to prevent the creation of new marine debris.

“SWANA is very pleased that both the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have now passed identical versions of this important bill," stated David Biderman, SWANA CEO and Executive Director. "With China set to ban imported recyclables and scrap completely in less than a month, and an amendment to the Basel Convention taking effect in 2021 that will limit export options for discarded plastics, Congress’ action was both timely and necessary.”

Save Our Seas 2.0 provides states with $55 million annually through 2025 to support improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including recycling programs. An additional $10 million annually will be provided to local governments and non-profit organizations to support projects, such as anti-litter initiatives, enforcement of local materials management ordinances, and education and outreach, among other projects.

To learn more about SWANA and SWANA’s initiatives, visit https://swana.org/.