[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 251 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 251

 Expressing support for improvement in the collection, processing, and 
   consumption of recyclable materials throughout the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2011

  Mr. Carper (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. 
  Blumenthal, Mr. Baucus, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Casey, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. 
  Gillibrand, Mr. Tester, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Coons, and Mr. Merkley) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                    on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for improvement in the collection, processing, and 
   consumption of recyclable materials throughout the United States.

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
    Resolved, 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.
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