Whereas maximizing the recycling economy in the United
States will create and sustain additional well-paying jobs in the United
States, further stimulate the economy of the United States, save energy, and
conserve valuable natural resources;
Whereas recycling is an important action that people in
the United States can take to be environmental stewards;
Whereas municipal recycling rates in the United States
steadily increased from 6.6 percent in 1970 to 28.6 percent in 2000, but since
2000, the rate of increase has slowed considerably;
Whereas a decline in manufacturing in the United States
has reduced both the supply of and demand for recycled materials;
Whereas recycling allows the United States to recover the
critical materials necessary to sustain the recycling economy and protect
national security interests in the United States;
Whereas recycling plays an integral role in the
sustainable management of materials throughout the life-cycle of a
product;
Whereas 46 States have laws promoting the recycling of
materials that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to a landfill;
Whereas more than 10,000 communities in the United States
have residential recycling and drop-off programs that collect a wide variety of
recyclable materials, including paper, steel, aluminum, plastic, glass, and
electronics;
Whereas, in addition to residential recycling, the scrap
recycling industry in the United States manufactures recyclable materials
collected from businesses into commodity-grade materials;
Whereas those commodity-grade materials are used as
feedstock to produce new basic materials and finished products in the United
States and throughout the world;
Whereas recycling stimulates the economy and plays an
integral role in sustaining manufacturing in the United States;
Whereas, in 2010, the United States recycling industry
collected, processed, and consumed over 130,000,000 metric tons of recyclable
material, valued at $77,000,000,000;
Whereas many manufacturers use recycled commodities to
make products, saving energy and reducing the need for raw materials, which are
generally higher-priced;
Whereas the recycling industry in the United States helps
balance the trade deficit and provides emerging economies with the raw
materials needed to build countries and participate in the global
economy;
Whereas, in 2010, the scrap recycling industry in the
United States sold over 44,000,000 metric tons of commodity-grade materials,
valued at almost $30,000,000,000, to over 154 countries;
Whereas recycling saves energy by decreasing the amount of
energy needed to manufacture the products that people build, buy, and
use;
Whereas using recycled materials in place of raw materials
can result in energy savings of 92 percent for aluminum cans, 87 percent for
mixed plastics, 63 percent for steel cans, 45 percent for recycled newspaper,
and 34 percent for recycled glass; and
Whereas a bipartisan Senate Recycling Caucus and a
bipartisan House Recycling Caucus were established in 2006 to provide a
permanent and long-term way for members of Congress to obtain in-depth
knowledge about the recycling industry and to help promote the many benefits of
recycling: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses support
for improvement in the collection, processing, and consumption of recyclable
material throughout the United States in order to create well-paying jobs,
foster innovation and investment in the United States recycling infrastructure,
and stimulate the economy of the United States;
(2)expresses support
for strengthening the manufacturing base in the United States in order to
rebuild the domestic economy, which will increase the supply, demand, and
consumption of recyclable and recycled materials in the United States;
(3)expresses support
for a competitive marketplace for recyclable materials;
(4)expresses support
for the trade of recyclable commodities, which is an integral part of the
domestic and global economy;
(5)expresses support
for policies in the United States that promote recycling of materials,
including paper, which is commonly recycled rather than thermally combusted or
sent to a landfill;
(6)expresses support
for policies in the United States that recognize and promote recyclable
materials as essential economic commodities, rather than wastes;
(7)expresses support
for policies in the United States that promote using recyclable materials as
feedstock to produce new basic materials and finished products throughout the
world;
(8)expresses support
for research and development of new technologies to more efficiently and
effectively recycle materials such as automobile shredder residue and cathode
ray tubes;
(9)expresses support
for research and development of new technologies to remove materials that are
impediments to recycling, such as radioactive material, polychlorinated
biphenyls, mercury-containing devices, and chlorofluorocarbons;
(10)expresses
support for Design for Recycling, to improve the design and manufacture of
goods to ensure that, at the end of a useful life, a good can, to the maximum
extent practicable, be recycled safely and economically;
(11)recognizes that
the scrap recycling industry in the United States is a manufacturing industry
that is critical to the future of the United States;
(12)expresses
support for policies in the United States that establish the equitable
treatment of recycled materials; and
(13)expresses
support for the participation of households, businesses, and governmental
entities in the United States in recycling programs, where available.