A bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress this week that would spur numerous nationwide recycling improvements to increase the use of recycled material in packaging.
Introduced by Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and Don Davis D-N.C., the Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastics and Recycling Innovation Act calls for a 30% minimum recycled content rate in plastic packaging by 2030 and would set an evaluation process for tracking progress. The American Chemistry Council supports the proposed 30% recycled content mandate, which it said in a statement “will drive increased private investment in plastics recycling and incentivize the use of packaging designed for recycling.”
Berry CEO Kevin Kwilinski said in a statement that the company supports the legislation “because it would help modernize the nation’s fragmented recycling infrastructure and significantly increase use of recycled material in new products.” LyondellBasell’s CEO also voiced support.
The bill would also task the EPA with setting certain national plastic recycling standards by establishing an advisory committee made up of members from plastic packaging designers, consumer brands, plastic manufacturers, recyclers, chemical recyclers and solid waste businesses. The advisory committee would develop a report outlining proposed standards.
The National Academy of Sciences would be tasked with studying the impact of greenhouse gas emissions of certain product materials such as plastics, glass, textiles and paper.
The bill would also set detailed definitions for chemical recycling, also known as advanced recycling, as a manufacturing process that is a “critical component of the international market for recycled products.” Incineration or combustion of plastics would not be considered advanced recycling, according to the bill. The bill also proposes a third-party certification system for mass balance of advanced recycling plastics feedstocks.
The bill aims to “harness innovative technologies” and recycle greater amounts of plastic waste, bill sponsors said. “Our recycling infrastructure is outdated and lacks the necessary resources and investments to address recycling needs, especially in rural communities,” Davis said in a statement.
Multiple recycling-related bills have sat in Congress, including the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act. The Democrat-sponsored Break Free legislation called for plastic beverage containers to include at least 15% PCR from U.S. sources by 2025, 30% by 2030, 45% by 2030 and 60% by 2040. At the time Break Free was reintroduced in late 2023, ACC noted it was pushing to introduce legislation with the 30% by 2030 threshold for plastic packaging with recycled content.
Minimum recycled content requirements have shown up for packaging at the state level, with some states like New Jersey passing recycled content-focused laws, and others proposing requirements within extended producer responsibility bills.
