Plastics industry asks US Congress for $1 billion

Plastics industry organizations, including the American Chemistry Council and the Association of Plastics Recyclers, and companies such as Dow and Eastman Chemical have written members of Congress asking for $1 billion for plastics recycling. The authors point out that a bill Congress is working on, the Realizing the Economic Opportunities and Value of Expanding Recycling Act, calls for $500 million in spending on recycling; they want to double that amount. They also note that many jurisdictions have reduced collection of recyclables as part of their COVID-19 response, pushing more recyclable material into landfills. The Recycling Partnership, one of the authors of the letter, said the country needs overall spending of $10 billion on recycling infrastructure. Judith Enck, president of the environmental group Beyond Plastics, opposes additional funding. “There should be more spending on a stronger recycling infrastructure, but that money should come from the companies that produce the material and not taxpayers,” she says.