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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E535-E536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING ACT
______
HON. HALEY M. STEVENS
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 15, 2020
Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am proud to introduce the Plastic Waste
Reduction and Recycling Act with my colleague Representative Gonzalez,
as well as Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member Frank
Lucas, who have joined us as leading cosponsors of this bipartisan
bill.
Plastic is invaluable in many applications. It's used as a high-
performance material for medical devices and in safety components for
automobiles. Plastic is also convenient. It's a mainstay in American
households from our toothbrushes to food storage to shampoo and
detergent bottles. Global plastic production increased from 2 million
tons per year in 1950 to 400 million tons annually in recent years.
What happens to all of the discarded plastic is why I am introducing
this legislation today.
We can no longer deny that we face a plastic waste crisis. In 2018,
the U.S. woke up to the fragile predicament of our plastic waste
management system. No longer able to ship our plastic waste to
international markets, U.S. cities were forced to cut longstanding
recycling programs. Instead, they had to resort to incinerating
recyclables or tossing them in landfills. There are plenty of reasons
for why and how we got here; however, a major factor is because we
failed as a nation to invest in domestic recycling infrastructure and
policies to account for the growing demand for plastic. As a result,
today, the U.S. recycles just 9 percent of its plastic waste.
The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act directs the
establishment of a plastic waste reduction and recycling research and
development program to 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.
This approach has the potential to create jobs, develop supply
chains, and meet environmental needs.
Most notably, this legislation authorizes research and development
across several agencies and a range of topics, including plastics that
are recyclable by design, next generation recycling technologies,
upcycling into high-value products, and environmental impacts of
plastic waste. This bill also calls on the Federal government to
develop a strategic plan for plastic waste reduction and recycling and
plastic waste remediation and to develop partnerships with States,
local governments, academia, industry, and international partners to
achieve those goals.
Finally, this legislation would help ensure U.S. leadership in
national and international research and standards development for
plastics recycling technologies. Advanced sorting
[[Page E536]]
technologies and updated standards are urgently needed for
characterizing the multilayered plastic packaging materials used today.
Most consumers are not even aware that many of these materials are not
easily recycled by most local materials recovery facilities, which just
exacerbates the challenges for the facilities, even as consumers are
trying to do their part.
This bill alone will not solve the plastic waste crisis in this
country, but it is an essential and important step. Supporting this
bill is an investment in our recycling industry and a demonstration of
our recommitment to American manufacturing jobs and the ingenuity so
very much needed at this time in our nation's history. I urge my
colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and see it signed into law.
____________________
