New Bipartisan Bill Bets Big on Recycling

The government has come together to talk trash.

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has endorsed a bill to improve recycling and composting infrastructure and data collection within the United States.

The Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act was supported by EPW chairman Shelley Moore Capito, ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator John Boozman. The bill, which would enhance domestic manufacturing supply chains, secured unanimous committee approval earlier this month.

The STEWARD Act combines two bipartisan recycling and composting bills—S. 1189 and S. 1194—which were previously passed but failed to become law. This time, the bill establishes the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to make recycling more accessible to more people through “strategic infrastructure investments and public-private partnerships.”

“For too many Americans, recycling remains out of reach—either because facilities don’t exist in their communities or because the infrastructure to make recycling economically viable is not in place,” Capito said. “The STEWARD Act aims to close these gaps by ensuring that recycling services are accessible to all communities.”

In an effort to modernize how we collect data on recycling and composting schemes throughout the country, the bill would establish standardized metrics for assessing and improving waste management systems nationwide. It also authorizes the EPA to collect and analyze relevant data—things like market trends, material processing rates, curbside program success—and any associated challenges.

Separate but together: the newly standardized metrics (tracking materials diverted from landfill) would enter voluntary data-sharing partnerships on the state level. Technical assistance would be given to state and local governments to then determine how to ramp up recycling (and composting) rates. The EPA, then, is “directed” to dig into the pros (like potential) and cons (like regulatory barriers, costs, existing infrastructure) to sort out so that ramp-up can move forward.

“The bill also recognizes that, to solve a problem, you need to measure and understand it first,” Capito said. “The data provisions in the STEWARD Act will empower decision-makers to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions that will drive real change in our nation’s recycling systems.”

The pilot grant program will provide “competitive” grants—ranging from $500,000 to $15 million—for projects enhancing recycling infrastructure through a “hub-and-spoke” distribution model.

This framework resembles a bicycle wheel and essentially has a main topic as the wheel’s center and various relevant subtopics as the spokes. The program will prioritize pockets of the country lacking adequate options or limited access to materials recovery facilities. Projects that increase transfer stations and expand curbside recycling programs—plus any projects that make those two tasks cheaper—are prioritized as well.

“Strengthening our commitment to recycling in order to preserve the resources we are blessed with, as well as spur economic growth and encourage industry innovation, benefits all Americans,” Boozman said. “I am proud to see the STEWARD Act advance with bipartisan support as we continue our efforts to encourage sustainable recycling infrastructure systems and practices.”

The STEWARD Act is backed by a relatively robust coalition, one that “underscores the dual benefit” of advancing the United States recycling infrastructure, according to the EWP. To be clear, this duality is the fun fact that what is best for business is actually what’s best for the planet, too.  

Stakeholders include Unilever, PepsiCo and General Mills. Trade associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers are also on board.

“We are living through a plastic pollution crisis: it’s accumulating in our food, in our water and in our bodies, and it’s threatening people’s health,” Whitehouse said. “I’m proud to join chairman Capito and senator Boozman to lead the STEWARD Act, which is an essential preliminary step in reducing the amount of plastics seeping into our bodies and environment. Recycling is a stopgap in the rising flood of plastic waste, and I look forward to working with my colleagues—on both sides of the aisle—to tackle this issue on all fronts.”