The American Chemistry Council applauds the Senate for unanimously passing S. 3742 the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA) and S. 3743 the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) in late July. These bipartisan bills are commonsense steps in the right direction to improve recycling access and data across the U.S. As Congress returns from recess, ACC encourages the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead and swiftly pass these two recycling bills to send them to President Biden’s desk for enactment into law.
“America’s plastic makers continue to invest billions of dollars to recycle more plastic, but obtaining sources of used plastics to recycle remains a challenge,” said Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics at ACC. “With improved data resources and access to recycling, our systems can better respond to more consumers who are eager to recycle. Plus, these improvements will help plastic makers supply brands and their customers with more recycled plastics for consumer products.”
A year ago America’s plastic makers released 5 Actions for Sustainable Change, which sets forth concrete steps to accelerate a circular economy for plastics. Passing these two bills will build momentum to move forward in Congress on the 5 Actions. ACC appreciates the hard work of Senators Capito, Carper and Boozman for championing smart recycling legislation in the Senate. We look forward to future collaboration as partners in sustainability.