Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members began laying the groundwork Wednesday for bipartisan bills aimed at bolstering the nation’s recycling programs. Chairman Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., have drafted legislation that would help standardize data reporting on recycling in the United States and require a slew of reports examining the potential for a national residential composting strategy, the recycling practices of federal agencies and basic information about the many local recycling programs across the country.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., the panel’s top Republican, has an additional proposal that would establish a pilot grant program to fund transfer stations that can help provide recycling access in areas where a facility might not be able to turn a profit on collecting materials.
During a committee hearing to discuss their proposals, Carper alluded to money included in the bipartisan infrastructure law to promote recycling efforts. “Congress provided unprecedented levels of funding for recycling infrastructure and educational programs,” Carper said. “The two bills we are examining today represent our next steps to build on these efforts to turn the challenges of recycling and composting into opportunities to reduce planet-warming emissions and create good-paying jobs.”