The Future Caucus Leads the Move Toward Greater Plastic Waste Reduction & Recycling Efforts to Strengthen National Security and Environmental Protection

H.R. 7228, the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act, was introduced in the House of Representatives on June 15, 2020. The bill, which is active and was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, is authored by Congressional Future Caucus (CFC) co-chair Rep. Stevens (D-MI-11) with fellow CFC co-chair Rep. Gonzalez (R-OH-16) as an original co-sponsor. 

The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act seeks to establish a coordinated Federal program to accelerate plastic waste reduction and support recycling research and development. The global production of plastic has increased from 2,000,000 tons of plastic per year in 1950 to 400,000,000 tons per year today. The United States has failed to invest in the development of domestic recycling markets, technology, and materials to make the recycling process more available and efficient. The United States recycles only 9 percent of its plastic waste. Until 2018, the United States and other developed nations exported 106,000,000 metric tons of recyclable plastics to China. China instituted a ban on contaminated United States plastics in 2018. 

The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act will establish a committee and designate the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to create a program with four primary purposes: to improve the global competitiveness of the United States plastics recycling industry; ensure United States leadership in plastic waste reduction and recycling research and innovation; support United States leadership in the development of national and international standards for advanced plastics and plastic recycling, and mitigate any harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment.

The Director will carry out activities such as supporting research, development, and demonstration of advanced plastic technologies optimized for recyclability; supporting and facilitating public-private partnerships to leverage knowledge and resources to accelerate research, development, and demonstration in advanced plastics; and conducting interagency planning and coordination of federal research and development of plastic waste reduction. 

The interagency Committee, established by the Director, will include representatives from DOE, EPA, DOT, NOAA, DOA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Committee will be tasked with providing interagency coordination of Federal plastics reduction and recycling and develop and update every 3 years a strategic plan, to be made public, for plastic waste reduction, recycling, and plastic waste remediation. The bill authorizes funding for five years and invests $85 million in fiscal year 2021 for these activities. 

Developing and implementing a federally coordinated, multi-agency program to accelerate plastic waste reduction and support recycling research and development is a critical step to increase the nation’s economic independence, improve the nation’s environmental quality, and strengthen national security. CFC co-chair Rep. Stevens stated in a press release that “The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act will help develop a world-leading U.S. industry in advanced plastics recycling technologies, and unleash the innovative potential of our nation to address our plastic waste crisis and generate greater value from the plastics we do produce.”