Recycling Resources

America Recycles Pledge

Are you a U.S.-based organization interested in working toward a more resilient materials economy? If so, sign the America Recycles Pledge

America Recycles Day® (ARD) is celebrated nationally each year on November 15 to promote and celebrate recycling in the United States. On ARD 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened its second Recycling Summit to address the major challenges facing the U.S. recycling system. The Summit engaged executives and leaders from across the recycling value chain to build on their success over the last year and commit to continuing to work together through implementation of a national framework to advance recycling in the U.S.

EPA Wraps Up America Recycles Week with Second Annual Recycling Summit — 11/15/19

National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System

The National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System is the product of a multi-stakeholder collaborative effort that began on November 15, 2018. On that day, EPA hosted the first America Recycles Day Summit, which for the first time ever brought together stakeholders from across the U.S. recycling system to join EPA in signing the America Recycles Pledge. Participants included representatives from federal, local, state and tribal governments; the recycling industry; non-profits; manufacturers; and product brands, who worked collaboratively over the course of 2019.

This document summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the workgroup participants in 2019 and lays out the path forward for continued action in 2020, including a voluntary national recycling goal. It also provides a foundation on which additional actions can be identified and taken.

Download the Framework

RECOVER Act (H.R. 5115)

The RECOVER Act would allocate $500 million in matching federal grants to eligible states, local municipalities, and tribal governments to invest in improving their recycling infrastructure, programs, and education efforts. More…

RECYCLE Act (S. 2941)

The RECYCLE Act would authorize up to $15 million per year, over the course of five years, in grants to states, tribes, nonprofits, public partnerships, and local governments seeking to ramp up commercial and municipal recycling outreach and education. The legislation would also direct the EPA to develop a model recycling toolkit to bolster recycling participation and decrease contamination rates. More…

Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (S. 1982)

The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act addresses the issue of marine debris in a variety of ways, including via improvements in domestic solid waste infrastructure. The legislation establishes a post-consumer materials management infrastructure grant program that would receive $55,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 and a trash-free water grants that would receive $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. More…