    [House Hearing, 117 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                            PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION
                            AND RECYCLING RESEARCH:
                       MOVING FROM STAGGERING STATISTICS
                             TO SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

                                     OF THE

                          COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE,
                                 AND TECHNOLOGY
                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                 JUNE 24, 2021

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 117-22

                                   __________

     Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

                   [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

           Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov

                                     ______

                     U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    44-862PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2023

                  COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY

                 HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas, Chairwoman

    ZOE LOFGREN, California              FRANK LUCAS, Oklahoma,
    SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon                 Ranking Member
    AMI BERA, California                 MO BROOKS, Alabama
    HALEY STEVENS, Michigan,             BILL POSEY, Florida
        Vice Chair                       RANDY WEBER, Texas
    MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey           BRIAN BABIN, Texas
    JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York              ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio
    MELANIE A. STANSBURY, New Mexico     MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida
    BRAD SHERMAN, California             JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
    ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado              DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida
    JERRY McNERNEY, California           MIKE GARCIA, California
    PAUL TONKO, New York                 STEPHANIE I. BICE, Oklahoma
    BILL FOSTER, Illinois                YOUNG KIM, California
    DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey          RANDY FEENSTRA, Iowa
    DON BEYER, Virginia                  JAKE LaTURNER, Kansas
    CHARLIE CRIST, Florida               CARLOS A. GIMENEZ, Florida
    SEAN CASTEN, Illinois                JAY OBERNOLTE, California
    CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania             PETER MEIJER, Michigan
    DEBORAH ROSS, North Carolina         VACANCY
    GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin                VACANCY
    DAN KILDEE, Michigan
    SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
    LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas
                                     ------

                    Subcommittee on Research and Technology

                    HON. HALEY STEVENS, Michigan, Chairwoman

    PAUL TONKO, New York                 MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida,
    GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin                    Ranking Member
    SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania             ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio
    BILL FOSTER, Illinois                JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
    DON BEYER, Virginia                  PETE SESSIONS, Texas
    CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania             JAKE LaTURNER, Kansas
    DEBORAH ROSS, North Carolina         PETER MEIJER, Michigan

                             C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

                                 June 24, 2021

                                                                       Page

    Hearing Charter..................................................     2

                               Opening Statements

    Statement by Representative Haley Stevens, Chairwoman,
      Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science,
      Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives...........     8
        Written Statement............................................     9

    Statement by Representative Michael Waltz, Ranking Member,
      Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science,
      Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives...........    10
        Written Statement............................................    11

    Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chairwoman,
      Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of
      Representatives................................................    12
        Written Statement............................................    12

                                   Witnesses:

    Ms. Keefe Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, The Recycling
      Partnership
        Oral Statement...............................................    14
        Written Statement............................................    16

    Dr. Marc Hillmyer, Director and Principal Investigator,
      University of Minnesota National Science Foundation Center for
      Sustainable Polymers
        Oral Statement...............................................    20
        Written Statement............................................    22

    Dr. Gregory Keoleian, Director, Center for Sustainable Systems,
      Peter M. Wege Professor of Sustainable Systems, School for
      Environment and Sustainability; Professor, Civil and
      Environmental Engineering, co-Coordinator, Engineering
      Sustainable Systems Program, University of Michigan
        Oral Statement...............................................    31
        Written Statement............................................    33

    Mr. Joshua Baca, Vice President, Plastics Division, American
      Chemistry Council
        Oral Statement...............................................    45
        Written Statement............................................    47

    Discussion.......................................................    56

                  Appendix: Additional Material for the Record

    Letters submitted by Representative Haley Stevens, Chairwoman,
      Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science,
      Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives
        Anthony Pitagno, Senior Director, American Chemical Society..    76
        Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National
          League of Cities...........................................    77
        Steve Alexander, President and CEO, Association of Plastic
          Recyclers..................................................    79
        Tony Radoszewski, President and CEO, Plastics Industry
          Association (PLASTICS).....................................    82

                            PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION
                            AND RECYCLING RESEARCH:
                       MOVING FROM STAGGERING STATISTICS
                             TO SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

                                  ----------

                            THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

                      House of Representatives,
               Subcommittee on Research and Technology,
                   Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
                                                       Washington, D.C.

         The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m.,
    in room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building and via
    Webex, Hon. Haley Stevens [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee]
    presiding.

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

         Chairwoman Stevens [continuing]. Order. Without objection,
    the Chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Before I
    deliver my opening remarks, I wanted to note that today the
    Committee is meeting both in person and virtually. I want to
    announce a couple of reminders to the Members about the conduct
    of this hearing. First, Members and staff who are attending in
    person, and are unvaccinated against COVID-19, must stay masked
    throughout the hearing. Unvaccinated Members may remove their
    masks only during their questioning under the 5 minute rule.
    Members who are attending virtually should keep their video
    feed on as long as they are present in the hearing. Members are
    responsible for their own microphones. Please also keep your
    microphones muted, unless you are speaking. Finally, if Members
    have documents they wish to submit for the record, please e-
    mail them to the Committee Clerk, whose e-mail address was
    circulated prior to the hearing.
         So good morning, and thank you all for joining today's
    hearing, and a special thank you to our witnesses for joining
    us here today. 2 years ago I had the honor and privilege of
    chairing the first hearing on recycling in this Committee in
    almost over a decade. Since then much has changed, but the
    problem of plastic waste, and how to enable a circular economy
    for recycling continues. We only have to look to the past year
    and a half to see some of the important medical and safety
    functions of plastic. Face shields, face masks, and other
    personal protective equipment allowed America's essential
    workers to be on the front lines of our Nation's COVID-19
    response. Disposable syringes are helping to deliver vaccine
    shots in arms all across this country. Plastic can be
    designated to be rigid enough to use in vehicle safety
    applications, durable enough to hold liquid products for years,
    and flexible enough to keep our food fresh. Virgin plastic is
    also cheap to produce.
         Unfortunately, the characteristics that make plastic
    convenient also make it difficult to recycle and to manage
    after it has been used. Global plastic production increased
    from two million tons per year in 1950--we remember plastic,
    plastic, plastic--to 400 million tons annually in recent years.
    What's more, if current trends continue, plastic production is
    projected to quadruple by 2050. So there is no one-size-fits-
    all solution here, but what we do know, and where we want to
    start, is with reducing, reusing, and recycling.
         Historically the U.S. has done a great job--excuse me, has
    not done the best job at recycling. We recycle less than 9
    percent of our plastic waste, despite all the campaigns that
    are pursued across the country. For more than 20 years the U.S.
    shipped our plastic waste to international markets to be
    recycled. When one of the major markets closed in 2018, items
    collected for recycling sat in warehouses because many cities
    across the Nation didn't have a local recycler that could
    process these bales of plastic, which were too often highly
    contaminated. Unfortunately, our communities face the choice of
    incinerating recyclables, or dumping them in landfills. While
    market, economic, and other factors led to the current plastic
    pollution crisis, part of the solution can be to invest in
    research to reduce plastic waste, and improve domestic
    recycling infrastructure and capabilities.
         This past Earth Day I was proud to introduce the Plastic
    Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act, alongside my
    colleague from Ohio, Congressman Anthony Gonzalez. The bill
    called on the Federal Government to develop a strategic plan
    for plastic waste reduction, and directs the Office of Science
    and Technology Policy to establish a program to leverage the
    expertise of Federal science agencies, academia, scientific
    associations, State and local governments, and the private
    sector. This bill will support research and international
    standards development to spur innovative, sustainable solutions
    that could create a world-leading U.S. industry in plastics
    recycling. Research is absolutely needed into how to design
    plastics to be recyclable, upcycle existing plastic into high
    value products, minimize environmental impacts of plastic
    waste, and recycling on our climate, and to improve plastic
    waste management to prevent plastic from entering our air,
    soil, and oceans.
         Finally, this legislation would support the measurement
    science needed to make sorting technologies more efficient, and
    to update standards for characterizing the multi-layered
    plastic packaging materials used today. No one solution will
    completely solve plastic pollution. Rather, it will take
    multiple efforts. The research supported in this bill can drive
    innovation, and innovation is at the heart of American industry
    and manufacturing that creates jobs. I look forward to hearing
    from our distinguished witnesses as our Committee explores
    challenges and opportunities for adopting sustainable upstream
    plastic waste reduction solutions, and improvements to the
    recycling system.
         [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Stevens follows:]

        Good morning, and thank you to all of the witnesses for
    joining us today
        Two years ago, I had the honor of chairing the first
    hearing on recycling in this committee for over a decade. Since
    then, much has changed but the problem of plastic waste and how
    to enable a circular economy of recycling continues.
        We only have to look to the past year and a half to see
    some of the important medical and safety functions of plastic.
    Face shields, face masks, and other personal protective
    equipment allowed America's essential workers to be on the
    front lines of our nation's COVID-19 response.Disposable
    syringes are helping deliver vaccine shots in arms all across
    the country.
        Plastic can be designed to be rigid enough to use in
    vehicle safety applications, durable enough to hold liquid
    products for years, and flexible enough to keep our food fresh.
    Virgin plastic is also cheap to produce.
        Unfortunately, the characteristics that make plastic
    convenient also make it difficult to recycle and to manage
    after it has been used.
        Global plastic production increased from 2 million tons per
    year in 1950 to 400 million tons annually in recent years.
    What's more, if current trends continue, plastic production is
    projected to quadruple by 2050. There is no silver bullet, but
    we do know where to start--reduce, reuse, and recycle.
    Historically, the U.S. has not done a great job at recycling.
    We recycle less than 9 percent of our plastic waste.
        For more than 20 years, the U.S. shipped our plastic waste
    to international markets to be recycled. When one of the major
    markets closed in 2018, items collected for recycling sat in
    warehouses because many cities across the nation didn't have a
    local recycler that could process these bales of plastic, which
    were too often highly contaminated. Unfortunately, communities
    faced the choice of incinerating recyclables or dumping them in
    landfills.
        While market, economic, and other factors led to the
    current plastic pollution crisis, part of the solution can be
    to invest in research to reduce plastic waste and improve
    domestic recycling infrastructure and capabilities.
        This past Earth Day, I was proud to reintroduce the Plastic
    Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act with my colleague
    from Ohio Congressman Anthony Gonzalez. The bill calls on the
    Federal government to develop a strategic plan for plastic
    waste reduction and directs the Office of Science and
    Technology Policy to establish a program to leverage the
    expertise of federal science agencies, academia, scientific
    associations, State and local governments, and the private
    sector.
        It will support research and international standards
    development to spur innovative sustainable solutions that could
    create a world-leading U.S. industry in plastics recycling.
    Research is needed into how to design plastics to be
    recyclable, upcycle existing plastic into high-value products,
    minimize environmental impacts of plastic waste and recycling
    on our climate, and to improve plastic waste management to
    prevent plastic from entering our air, soil, and oceans.
        Finally, this legislation would support the measurement
    science needed to make sorting technologies more efficient and
    to update standards for characterizing the multilayered plastic
    packaging materials used today.
        No one solution will completely solve plastic pollution;
    rather, it will take multiple efforts. The research supported
    in this bill can drive innovation and innovation is at the
    heart of American industry and manufacturing that creates jobs.
        I look forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses
    as our Committee explores challenges and opportunities for
    adopting sustainable upstream plastic waste reduction solutions
    and improvements to the recycling system.

         Chairwoman Stevens. Before I yield to Mr. Waltz for his
    opening statement, I would like to enter into the record two
    letters of support for the Plastic Waste Reduction and
    Recycling Research Act from the American Chemical Society (ACS)
    and the National League of Cities. The Chair now recognizes Mr.
    Waltz for an opening statement.
         Mr. Waltz. Thank you, Madam Chair, and before I give my
    opening statement, I'd like to wish you a happy birthday. I
    share your passion for this topic. I'm an avid recycler, and my
    17-year-old daughter keeps me on track in that regard, so good
    morning. Thank you for holding today's hearing. It's good to be
    in the hearing room with you, and I look forward to examining
    emerging technologies in plastics recycling. I'd also like to
    thank our witnesses for appearing before the Subcommittee, and
    sharing their expertise with us.
         As we take a step back, I want to note that in the 20th
    century the United States was a leader in the development of
    plastics. We revolutionized the world by making material wealth
    widespread and obtainable like never before. However, the U.S.
    recycling infrastructure has failed to keep up with the booming
    plastic market. In 2018 the U.S. produced 36 million tons of
    plastic, as the Chairwoman noted. However, the domestic
    recycling industry only repurposed eight and a half percent of
    it. America has a new opportunity to lead in the development of
    a circular economy of plastics, an economy that produces,
    recycles, and reuses materials to reduce cost and waste.
    Investments in research and development (R&D) of new
    sustainable materials and recycling technologies will help the
    environment and the U.S. economy. For example, with advanced
    recycling tools and technologies, we can fully repurpose
    plastic without needing to harvest any new resources. In
    essence, we can turn waste into a marketable commodity. And the
    economic potential here truly is immense. According to a report
    by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), advanced plastics
    recycling could support over 38,000 U.S. jobs, and produce
    nearly 10 billion in U.S. economic output.
         Today plastics are integral to our daily lives, but we
    cannot ignore their impact on the environment. In my district
    in Northeast Florida, we are blessed with miles of beautiful
    coastline. It's a main focal point of our lives, and of our
    economy. Moving from plastic waste to plastic reuse ensures the
    protection of Florida's pristine beaches, which many on this
    Committee like to visit, and Floridians' economies that rely on
    healthy coastal ecosystems. I recently had the pleasure to
    visit the Loggerhead Marine Life Center in Jupiter, Florida,
    which was amazing to see the research and the marine life that
    they are helping there, but it was also very disturbing to see
    the amount of microplastics that are appearing in our ocean
    food supply. It was staggering, and it's dangerous, and we
    absolutely need to take action.
         I believe that using innovative methods to bolster and
    optimize our domestic plastics recycling will not only preserve
    this environment, preserve our environment, but also avoid
    costly regulations, and that's unlike the plastic provisions in
    the Green New Deal. Additionally, as demonstrated over the last
    year, our national security is at risk as long as we are
    dependent on foreign nations, particularly on the Chinese
    Communist Party, for essential commodities or services.
    America's clean energy future requires a reliable and stable
    supply of critical minerals. My bill, the American Critical
    Mineral Independence Act, addresses the issue of America's
    reliance on foreign nations to obtain critical minerals. I'm
    pleased that a provision of the legislation was included in the
    NSF for the Future Act that recently passed this Committee.
         When it comes to recycling, the U.S. cannot remain export
    reliant. For one, media reports regarding China's 2018 plastics
    importation restrictions highlighted that China never actually
    disposed of plastics properly. Second, we should not become
    reliant on China for yet another critical service, especially
    when there's untapped economic gain to be had here at home. The
    Science Committee's role is to look to innovation to solve
    major challenges facing our Nation, and it's just what we're
    doing here today. We have witnesses from academia and industry
    who are working on new solutions to plastics recycling,
    including chemical recycling, and applying robotics and
    artificial intelligence to material sorting. I look forward to
    having a productive, insightful conversation. Innovation in
    these areas will ensure a better world for our children and
    grandchildren. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
         [The prepared statement of Mr. Waltz follows:]

        Good morning Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you for holding
    today's hearing to examine emerging technologies in plastics
    recycling. I would also like to thank our witnesses for
    appearing before the subcommittee and sharing their expertise
    with us this morning.
        In the 20th Century, the U.S. was a leader in the
    development of plastics, revolutionizing the world by making
    material wealth widespread and obtainable like never before.
        However, the U.S. recycling infrastructure has failed to
    keep up with the booming plastics market. In 2018, the U.S.
    produced 36 million tons of plastic, yet the domestic recycling
    industry only repurposed 8.5 percent of it.
        The U.S. has a new opportunity to lead in the development
    of a circular economy of plastics--an economy that produces,
    recycles, and reuses materials to reduce cost and waste.
    Investments in research and development of new sustainable
    materials and recycling technologies will help the environment
    and the U.S. economy. For example, with advanced recycling
    tools and technologies, we can fully repurpose plastic without
    needing to harvest any new resources. In essence, we can turn
    waste into a marketable commodity.
        The economic potential here is immense. According to a
    report by the American Chemistry Council, advanced plastics
    recycling could support over 38,000 U.S. jobs and produce $9.9
    billion in U.S. economic output.
        Today, plastics are integral to our daily lives, but we
    cannot ignore their impact on the environment. In my District,
    we are blessed with miles of coastline, which is a main focal
    point in our economy and our way of life. Moving from plastic
    waste to plastic reuse ensures the protection of Florida's
    pristine beaches and the Floridian economies that rely on
    healthy coastal ecosystems. Using innovative methods to bolster
    and optimize our domestic plastics recycling will not only
    preserve our environment but also avoid costly regulations,
    unlike the plastic provisions in the Green New Deal.
        Additionally, as demonstrated over the last year, our
    national security is at risk as long as we are dependent on
    foreign nations, and particularly China, for essential
    commodities or services. America's clean energy future requires
    a reliable and stable supply of critical minerals. My bill, the
    American Critical Mineral Independence Act, addresses the issue
    of the United States' reliance on foreign nations to obtain
    critical minerals. I am pleased that a provision of this
    legislation was included in the ``NSF For the Future Act,''
    that recently passed the Committee.
        When it comes to recycling, the U.S. cannot remain export
    reliant. For one, media reports regarding China's 2018 plastics
    importation restrictions highlighted that China never actually
    disposed of plastics properly. Secondly, we should not become
    reliant on China for yet another critical service, especially
    when there's an untapped economic gain to be had.
        The Science Committee's role is to look to innovation to
    solve major challenges facing our nation, and that's just what
    we are doing here today. We have witnesses from academia and
    industry who are working on new solutions to plastic recycling,
    including chemical recycling and applying robotics and
    artificial intelligence to material sorting. I look forward to
    having a productive and insightful conversation.
        Innovation in these areas will ensure a better world for
    our children and grandchildren. Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield
    back.

         Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. And the Chair now
    recognizes the Chairwoman of the Full Committee, Chairwoman
    Johnson, for an opening statement.
         Chairwoman Johnson. Good morning, and thank you,
    Chairwoman Stevens, for holding today's hearing, and happy
    birthday. Leaders across the globe are wrestling with the need
    to reduce plastic waste, and I appreciate the fact that you,
    Chairwoman Stevens, and Congressman Gonzalez--this bipartisan
    leadership on legislation you introduced supporting research
    and development activities to help reduce plastic waste.
         Communities across the country, including my district in
    Dallas, Texas, are trying to find solutions to deal with the
    increasing levels of plastic waste. The statistics concerning
    plastic pollution are indeed staggering. In 2018 plastic waste
    was the third largest source of municipal solid waste in the
    United States. In that year alone we generated 35.7 million
    tons of plastic waste, recycled three million tons, combusted
    5.6 million tons, and put 27 million tons of plastic in waste
    landfills. These statistics make it imperative to support
    research that can help us move forward in a sustainable way.
    Experts agree that no single solution will solve the plastic
    waste crisis. We must have an all-of-the-above approach.
         To that end, it is important to understand barriers to the
    current recycling system, the potential for upstream solutions,
    and what research, technology, and data gaps we need to fill.
    Also critical is understanding the need for standards
    development and new assessment models to help us achieve
    sustainable systems. Collaboration will be key between Federal
    agencies, State and local governments, academia, the private
    sector, and international partners. Today's hearing is very
    important, and the step we're taking with it is working toward
    achieving sustainability goals for our environment, and I look
    forward to this discussion, and I thank you and yield back.
         [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Johnson follows:]

        Good morning, and thank you Chairwoman Stevens for holding
    today's hearing to discuss this important issue. Leaders across
    the globe are wrestling with the need to reduce plastic waste,
    and I appreciate Chairwoman Stevens' and Congressman Gonzalez's
    bipartisan leadership on the legislation they introduced
    supporting research and development activities to help reduce
    plastic waste.
        Communities across the country, including my district in
    Dallas, Texas, are trying to find solutions to deal with the
    increasing levels of plastic waste. The statistics concerning
    plastic pollution are indeed staggering. In 2018, plastic was
    the third largest source of municipal solid waste in the U.S.
    In that year alone, we generated 35.7 million tons of plastic
    waste, recycled 3 million tons, combusted 5.6 million tons, and
    put 27 million tons of plastic waste in landfills.
        These statistics make it an imperative to support research
    that can help us move forward in a more sustainable way.
    Experts agree that no single solution will solve the plastic
    waste crisis. We must have an all-of-the-above approach. To
    that end, it is important to understand barriers to the current
    recycling system, the potential for upstream solutions, and
    what research, technology, and data gaps we need to fill. Also
    critical is understanding the need for standards development
    and new assessment models to help us achieve sustainable
    systems.
        Collaboration will be key between federal agencies, State
    and local governments, academia, the private sector, and
    international partners. Today's hearing is an important step in
    working towards achieving sustainability goals for our
    environment, and I look forward to the discussion and our
    witnesses' testimony.
        Thank you.

         Chairwoman Stevens. All right. Thank you, Madam Chair, and
    if there are Members who wish to submit additional opening
    statements, your statements will be added to the record at this
    point.
         Also at this time I'd like to introduce our witnesses. Our
    first witness is Ms. Keefe Harrison. Ms. Harrison is the Chief
    Executive Officer (CEO) of The Recycling Partnership, a
    national nonprofit dedicated to protecting the planet by fixing
    recycling and activating a circular economy throughout the
    United States. She is an international speaker, media pundit,
    and environmental author dedicated to engaging companies in
    making measurable, lasting change in communities. Under her
    leadership, The Recycling Partnership has grown significantly,
    engaging more than 70 funding partners, and reaching more than
    half of American households.
         Our next witness is Dr. Marc Hillmyer. Dr. Hillmyer is the
    Director, and Principal Investigator of the University of
    Minnesota NSF (National Science Foundation) Center for
    Sustainable Polymers. He joined the Department of Chemistry
    Faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1997, and is
    currently the McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Chemistry
    at the University, where his research focuses on the synthesis
    and self-assembly of multifunctional polymers. Dr. Hillmyer
    served as an associate editor for the ACS journal
    Macromolecules from 2018 to 2017, and he has been editor-in-
    chief since 2018.
         Our third witness is Dr. Gregory Keoleian. Dr. Keoleian is
    the Peter M. Wege Professor of Sustainable Systems at the
    University of Michigan, and serves as the Director of the
    Center for Sustainable Systems. He also holds appointments as a
    Professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability, and
    the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His
    research focuses on the development and application of life
    cycle models and sustainability metrics to guide the design and
    improvement of products and technology.
         Our final witness is Mr. Joshua Baca. Mr. Baca is the Vice
    President of the Plastics Division at the American Chemistry
    Council. In this role he oversees strategic programs to advance
    a science-based policy agenda, national outreach, and
    sustainability initiatives on behalf of America's leading
    plastic makers. He also leads industry initiatives and fosters
    multi-stakeholder dialog around helping end plastic waste by
    creating a more circular economy.
         As our witnesses should know, you will each have 5 minutes
    for your spoken testimony. You written testimony will be
    included in the record for the hearing. When you all have
    completed your spoken testimony, we will begin with questions.
    Each Member will have 5 minutes to question the panel. We will
    start with Ms. Harrison's opening testimony.

                    TESTIMONY OF MS. KEEFE HARRISON,

                        CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

                       THE RECYCLING PARTNERSHIP

         Ms. Harrison. Madam Chairwoman, and Members of the
    Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you
    about this important topic. As you know, I am the CEO of The
    Recycling Partnership, and we are a national nonprofit that
    works with companies, communities, and policies to strengthen
    the U.S. recycling system. You may remember our recent campaign
    in D.C. to boost recycling. That was an example of the type of
    grant that we give, and how we partner with thousands of cities
    across the county, and across the country. The Recycling
    Partnership is designed to bring together public and private
    sectors because without coordination, recycling will never
    deliver the solutions that we all need. Recycling has been
    something old, become something new again, but we need to
    ensure that that is by plan, and not just by chance, as is the
    current case, and we're here today to talk about how to execute
    that plan, a shared vision for the future, one of a circular
    economy, moving away from a linear economy, where we take raw
    materials from the planet, make stuff out of it, just to bury
    all that value back in the ground after a single use.
         Committee Members, recycling is so much more than just
    putting things in a recycling bin. It's really about smarter
    feed stock and stronger methods for manufacturing. But there's
    a hitch. As many of you have heard, recycling faces barriers
    that it needs help in overcoming. That's why we're here today,
    and, in fact, The Recycling Partnership just wrote a report
    that you may be interested in. It's called ``Paying It Forward:
    How Investing In Recycling Will Pay Dividends'', and it
    outlines how to fix the U.S. recycling system, and deliver
    rewards to the environment and the economy.
         Now, when it comes to plastics, technology has an
    important role to play in delivering that better system. R&D
    (research and development) can help us answer important
    questions like how do we better design plastics products to
    meet the demands of the infrastructure? Things like labels,
    ink, adhesives, they make a big difference in determining if
    something is truly recyclable. Similarly, how do we make sure
    that improvements of the infrastructure are aligned with all
    the innovation of what's coming into the system, what is being
    designed? How can we develop standards to make sure that
    businesses across the country know what quality of recyclable
    feed stock that they're getting, and exactly how can we make
    sure that recycled content supply is available for U.S.
    businesses, like businesses in all of your States? There is
    Unifi in North Carolina, turning old soda and water bottles
    into recycled fiber for clothes, Polywood in Indiana, making
    indoor--or outdoor furniture out of detergent bottles. Envision
    Plastics in California, capturing ocean-bound plastics and
    producing feed stock for shampoo and soap bottles for companies
    like Method in Illinois. There's Schupan in Michigan, Indorama
    in Texas, Alpek in Pennsylvania, all turning bottles into new
    bottles.
         So why does this matter to this Committee? Three things
    should be top of mind for our discussion today, system
    solutions, scale, and speed. R&D that focuses on those three
    things matter most. Technology only helps if it's part of a
    system. What's not needed? One-off technologies, silver
    bullets, individual projects that don't add up to systems
    change. Each one of those businesses that I mentioned, and all
    the others like them, have to overcome technical barriers in
    order to become profitable and grow. We need research to turn
    those technical barriers into bridges, helping to create a
    circular economy not just by chance, but by plan. We commend
    this Committee for its attention to plastics in a circular
    economy, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to testify today.
    The Recycling Partnership looks forward to working with you on
    solutions that create jobs, protect our planet, and its people.
    Thank you.
         [The prepared statement of Ms. Harrison follows:]

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         Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. And now we will hear from
    Dr. Hillmyer.

                    TESTIMONY OF DR. MARC HILLMYER,

                  DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,

                        UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

                      NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

                    CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE POLYMERS

         Dr. Hillmyer. Thank you. Chairwoman Stevens, Ranking
    Member Waltz, Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, and
    distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
    invitation to provide testimony in today's hearing. I'm quite
    honored to have this opportunity to speak with you today. I'm a
    Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, and the
    Director of the National Science Foundation Center for
    Sustainable Polymers, which is a center for chemical innovation
    headquartered here at Minnesota. Polymers are the molecules of
    plastics, and I have worked in the field of polymer science
    since my time as an undergraduate researcher at the University
    of Florida. I earned my Ph.D. in Chemistry studying polymers at
    the California Institute of Technology. Since beginning as a
    Professor of Chemistry at Minnesota, I've worked in the areas
    of sustainable polymers, and much of my research today has
    connections to sustainability. As the Director of the National
    Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Polymers since its
    inception in 2009, I've led numerous research efforts and
    managed a broad research portfolio focused on sustainable
    polymers. I really have a passion for advancing sustainable
    polymers through basic research endeavors that enable a
    circular economy for future generations.
         As a society that depends on plastics every day, and in
    nearly all established, new, and emerging high and low tech
    applications, we're faced with a crisis. The comforts,
    conveniences, and efficiencies associated with the use of these
    modern materials also comes at a cost, ever-increasing, broadly
    distributed, and persistent plastic pollution. Moreover, nearly
    all the new plastic that is produced globally every year is
    derived from non-renewable fossil resources, thus contributing
    to the depletion of finite feed stocks harbored by Earth. While
    we all know about plastics recycling, and the chasing arrow
    indicators on plastics, the fact is that a very small
    percentage of plastics are effectively recycled.
         To make matters worse, most plastics are used for a short
    period of time, for example in packaging or disposable service-
    ware, and then immediately disposed of, and often
    indiscriminately. The value of plastic--of that plastic
    material is lost, waste is generated, and very little is
    ultimately recycled. A staggering level of these discarded
    materials, and the microplastics derived therefrom, end up on
    our landscapes and in our waterways, causing environmental and
    ecological damage. The resulting negative impacts to the food
    chain, and ultimately to our own health, is a clear concern.
    Using oil and gas to make plastics that typically have very
    short use lifetimes, end up in the environment, and cause
    damage to our ecosystems is simply unsustainable.
         However, we all need plastic. These remarkable materials
    are so important it's difficult to imagine modern society
    without them. In fact, plastics contribute to sustainability in
    positive ways, such as in lightweight transportation, food
    preservation, and renewable energy applications. The other main
    contributing factor for our extensive use of plastic is that
    these materials are generally available at very low cost. The
    performance to price ratio of plastics is about as high as it
    gets. While I can argue that we all need plastic, we don't need
    all plastic. Certainly unnecessary plastic materials permeate
    our society, and dematerialization will unquestionable play an
    important role in a sustainable polymer future. There are some
    places where we simply use too much plastic.
         We need a major change in the way we produce, use, dispose
    of, and recycle plastics. The goal of zero plastic pollution is
    a lofty, but necessary one for a sustainable plastics future.
    To realize this vision, there are many interwoven factors and
    needs. These include policy initiatives, improved recycling
    practices, other end-of-life infrastructure, and industry
    adoption of sustainable alternatives for current plastic
    products, packaging, and processes. I'm here today to emphasize
    the fact that basic and fundamental research in sustainable
    polymers is, and will continue to be, essential to build a
    strong foundation from which new sustainable technologies can
    be built. Now, this is where government, industry, and private
    foundation support all play critically important roles. Basic
    research in sustainable polymers that aims to uncover the
    underlying principles associated with, for example, efficient
    conversion of renewable feed stocks to valuable chemical
    intermediates, green processes to incorporate those chemicals
    into advanced polymer structures, and how to design materials
    for viable and sustainable end-of-life scenarios post-use, will
    positively contribute to a sustainable polymer future.
         This important research, aimed and understanding
    fundamentals, and revealing what is possible with sustainable
    polymers, is decades behind analogous work in non-renewable,
    fossil-derived, non-degradable, and practically non-recyclable
    materials that dominate today's landscape. Significant effort,
    support, and new initiatives are imperative for future
    generations to enjoy the benefits of plastics, while
    simultaneously eliminating their negative consequences. In my
    written testimony I provide an overview of research efforts
    carried out in the National Science Foundation Center for
    Sustainable Polymers, my view on broader research needs in the
    sustainable polymer arena, and my support for the proposed
    Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act. Thank you
    again for this opportunity to testify today. I am truly honored
    to be here to be able to share my thoughts and visions for a
    sustainable polymer future, and I look forward to answering any
    questions you may have. Thank you.
         [The prepared statement of Dr. Hillmyer follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

         Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you, Dr. Hillmyer, the honor is
    all ours. And with that, we will hear from Dr. Keoleian.

                   TESTIMONY OF DR. GREGORY KEOLEIAN,

               DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS,

            PETER M. WEGE PROFESSOR OF SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS,

               SCHOOL FOR ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY;

            PROFESSOR, CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING,

                CO-COORDINATOR, ENGINEERING SUSTAINABLE

                SYSTEMS PROGRAM, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

         Dr. Keoleian. Thank you, Chairwoman Stevens, and Ranking
    Member Waltz, and all of the other Members of this
    Subcommittee. My name is Greg Keoleian. I serve as Director of
    the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of
    Michigan, and the Professor in the School for Environment and
    Sustainability in the Department of Civil and Environmental
    Engineering. My research focuses on the development of life
    cycle models and sustainability metrics to guide the design and
    improvement of products and technology. Our center recently
    developed the first comprehensive characterization of plastics
    use by resin type across the U.S. economy. I wish to offer some
    observations and recommendations based on this and other
    plastic sustainability research with industry, ranging from
    milk packaging to building insulation.
         The plastics waste crisis is more than a packaging waste
    problem. 2/3 of the plastic put into use in the U.S. went into
    markets other than packaging, including consumer products,
    furniture, electronics, transportation, and buildings, each
    with unique challenges and opportunities. Less than 8 percent
    of the plastics retired in these products are recycled.
    Multiple technical and economic barriers limit plastics
    material recovery. In theory, most of the thermoplastics used
    in packaging have a high recyclability, but actual low
    recycling rates can be traced to inexpensive virgin feed stocks
    combined with material quality issues. Plastic content and e-
    waste is estimated at 20 to 33 percent, and commercially viable
    mechanical recycling systems cannot handle the current volume
    and diversity of plastics and e-waste. Buildings are using
    increasing amounts of plastic for piping, siding, trim, plastic
    wood composites, as well as insulation. Recovery is extremely
    challenging, given that building demolition produces mixed
    waste, with low fractions of plastics.
         Plastics growth in the transportation sector has been
    primarily due to light-weighting efforts, and the specialized
    properties that engineered resins afford. Plastic recovery from
    auto-shredder residue is challenging. 39 different plastic
    types are used to make cars. Separation technologies are very
    capital intensive, and the cost to separate, clean, and collect
    often exceeds that of virgin plastic, especially with low oil
    and national gas prices.
         Systems analysis tools are necessary to overcome these
    challenges. First, research is needed to fill in gaps in
    plastics material flow. Improved characterization will
    facilitate coordination between product design, manufacturing,
    and material recovery efforts. This is needed to direct R&D and
    capital resources toward bottleneck stages in greatest need of
    innovation. Second, life cycle analysis models are needed to
    guide innovation in robust, cost-effective solutions. Life
    cycle assessments of plastic used in products can elucidate
    tradeoffs and guide improvements. They're necessary to avoid
    burden shifting and promotion of less environmentally
    sustainable alternatives. Third, emphasize interdisciplinary
    R&D to develop plastic waste solutions. At the core of the
    current plastics waste crisis is an economics problem.
    Sustainable solutions are effective when there is alignment
    between technology, markets, policy, and behavioral drivers.
    Interdisciplinary research bringing together engineers,
    industrial ecologists--economists, policy analysts, behavioral
    scientists can achieve convergence and robust solutions more
    quickly. Also, implementation could be accelerated when
    academics, industry, government, and community partners co-
    create solutions.
         Fourth, R&D should target product system design system
    design solutions beyond recycling. I strongly encourage the
    broadening of the research scope to develop solutions that can
    avoid or limit generation of waste. These strategies include
    dematerialization, material substitution, service life
    extension of products, re-use, and re-manufacturing. Fifth,
    develop a road map to guide R&D coordination across agencies.
    This can help set research priorities and avoid research
    duplication, given the wide array of resin and composite types
    used for the wide range of plastic applications, each with
    varying lifetimes. Finally, plastic waste reductions solutions
    should also reduce carbon emissions. Humanity is facing a
    climate emergency. We need to prioritize technological plastic
    waste reduction innovations that could also create solutions to
    accelerate greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
         In conclusion, solutions to plastic waste crisis will
    require a major transformation to systems through technology,
    community engagement, behavior change, and policy innovations.
    Technological innovations in recycling alone will not be
    sufficient. I fully support the goals of the Committee's
    legislation, and hope my systems analysis-based recommendations
    will help strengthen programming and implementation. Appreciate
    the opportunity to share my perspectives, and welcome your
    questions. Thank you very much for your attention.
         [The prepared statement of Dr. Keoleian follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

         Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you so much, Dr. Keoleian. And
    now we will hear from Mr. Baca.

             TESTIMONY OF MR. JOSHUA BACA, VICE PRESIDENT,

             PLASTICS DIVISION, AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL

         Mr. Baca. Good morning. Let me first start off by thanking
    the Subcommittee for holding this important hearing today. I
    want to commend the Chairwoman from Michigan for her leadership
    in this issue, her pragmatic approach in driving actions, and
    her collaborative style in bringing stakeholders together to
    solve big challenges we face as a Nation. The American
    Chemistry Council's Plastics Division is pleased to provide
    testimony to this Subcommittee. Our members are the leading
    producers of modern plastic materials used to make countless
    consumer and durable goods, used in a variety of applications,
    and innovations that improve the quality of our lives, our
    environment, and our economy.
         ACC encourages passage of the bipartisan Plastic Waste
    Reduction and Recycling Research Act. If passed, this
    legislation would direct Federal Government resources to
    improve the global competitiveness of U.S. plastics recycling,
    and ensure U.S. leadership in plastic waste reduction and
    recycling research. It would also help capture the value of
    used plastics through enhanced research and development, and
    create standards, tools, and technologies necessary to
    modernize and expand today's recycling systems. Finally, it
    will accelerate the research and development for advanced
    recycling technologies.
         Our members are deeply committed to creating a circular
    economy for plastics, and ending plastic waste in the
    environment. Plastics contribute to sustainability goals, which
    help protect the American environment for future generations.
    Plastic waste does not. Waste in the environment, including
    plastic waste, is never acceptable. We are eager in taking
    action to solve this problem. That's why, in 2018, America's
    plastic makers established two ambitious circular economy
    goals. By 2030, 100 percent of U.S. plastic packaging will be
    recyclable or recoverable, and by 2040 100 percent of U.S.
    plastic packaging will be re-used, recycled, or recovered. Last
    year we released our road map to re-use, which outlined a
    vision, and a set of actions to mobilize the entire plastics
    value chain to achieve these goals. Our industry has worked to
    grow the circular economy for all plastics by implementing our
    road map.
         Since July of 2017 our industry has invested nearly $6
    billion to grow plastics recycling in the United States, most
    of it in advanced recycling technologies. While traditional
    recycling processes will continue to play an important role in
    plastics recycling, they do face some important limitations.
    Newer, cutting edge technologies known as advanced recycling
    complement these traditional systems by picking up where they
    leave off, and enabling communities to recycle significantly
    more types, and greater quantities, of plastics. Advanced
    recycling technologies are innovative manufacturing processes
    that fundamentally transform the chemical structure of post-use
    plastic back to their basic chemical building blocks. These
    building blocks are the raw materials used for making virgin
    quality plastic and other valuable products. They enable more
    types of plastics to become resources for new manufacturing,
    conserving natural resources, and helping grow local jobs and
    economies.
         Momentum for advanced recycling is accelerating across the
    United States, and the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling
    Research Act will help sustain that momentum. Globally
    recognized corporations and mature recycling enterprises are
    making significant commitments, and building infrastructure at
    a commercial scale. Technology has evolved and created new
    opportunities and tremendous breakthroughs that can create
    virgin-quality packaging critical for demanding applications,
    such as food-grade and pharmaceutical packaging. There is a
    significant and growing market for recycled products driven by
    company commitments and consumer demand for using more recycled
    plastic in products. 14 States have enacted legislation to
    update their existing laws so companies are more appropriately
    regulated in their deployment of advanced recycling
    technologies, and a first wave of advanced recycling
    enterprises is achieving third party validation through
    international certification. We believe, with the right
    approaches and commitment, the challenge of plastic waste in
    the environment is solvable, and collective actions by
    government, industry, nonprofits, and NGO's (non-governmental
    organizations) will make America more sustainable.
         The stakes are high. Plastics are critical to a modern
    society, from light-weighting vehicles to reduce carbon
    emissions, to sealing and insulating our homes and buildings,
    to delivering essential health care, preserving food, and
    preventing food waste, and contributing to an overall higher
    quality of life. Again, I want to thank the Subcommittee for
    holding this important hearing today. We appreciate the
    opportunity to collaborate on this legislation, and future
    legislation, and I yield my back--my time back to the
    Chairwoman.
         [The prepared statement of Mr. Baca follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

         Chairwoman Stevens. Great. Thank you so much, Mr. Baca.
    And as you can all tell, we've got a great group here, and this
    is making for a--just a very exciting hearing, so at this point
    we're going to move to our first round of questions, and the
    Chair is going to recognize herself for 5 minutes of
    questioning.
         A recent Federal study found that contamination of
    recyclables is a major cross-cutting challenge to the U.S.
    recycling system. I've seen this in my own district in
    Southeastern Michigan, when I talk to my municipal leaders, or
    others in industry. Contamination of recyclables can occur when
    non-recyclables, such as plastic bags, are not sorted from
    recyclables, or when food residue on recyclable plastic
    materials makes them non-recyclable. Ms. Harrison, what steps
    can we take to ensure businesses and consumers know the quality
    of plastic feed stock that they are acquiring for making new
    products?
         Ms. Harrison. So I love this question, because it's really
    about how do we make sure that recycled content is competing
    with virgin, right? It's--recycling is all about manufacturing,
    and it has to compete on price, on quality, and on volume.
    Manufacturers need to know that they can depend on recycled
    feed stock to be there when they need it. So contamination, I
    think, can be put into two buckets. One, a misstep in the
    design of a product. I mentioned labels, adhesives. We need
    thought that goes into how packaging is designed, and I would
    encourage the Committee to look at plasticiq.com. It's a new
    tool, a free tool, that we just designed with support and--from
    Walmart to help suppliers align around common design challenges
    so that we know, as consumers, when we get something off the
    shelf, it is in prime recycling condition.
         And then the second thing--the second bucket of where
    contamination comes in is really in the household. That
    challenge is when--we can sometimes call this wish-cycling,
    when people hope that something is recyclable, and so they put
    it into the bin. They're confused, not really knowing what it's
    about, doesn't have the arrows on it. So that part--point of
    what--how do we engage the public is a really important one,
    because it's not just awareness. We know the public is aware of
    recycling. What we need to get to is how do we engage them in
    the correct behavior of what to recycle on which day?
         Education has been woefully underfunded in this country.
    Consumers are concerned and confused, and I think that if we
    marry how things are designed for the system with how we
    leverage that public will, we'll find a better outcome. We're
    doing work in communities right now. We have a program called
    Feet on the Street, where we partner with communities to make
    sure that we are addressing the key challenge to contamination
    for that city, and that program uses oops tags on carts to
    really trigger the problem that an individual household is
    making. You know, the No. 1 challenge to recycling that many
    people make is they're trying their best, and they put all
    those recyclables in a plastic bag. When they tie them up in a
    plastic bag, in most places, that renders them unrecyclable by
    the facilities. That's the No. 1 thing that we go after,
    Chairwoman. So I put it in design and consumer behavior.
         Chairwoman Stevens. All right. Well, we're educating the
    public here today. And also, you know, just wondering how
    plastics in today's waste streams changed since the development
    of the resin identification codes from 30 years ago, which are
    commonly identified on plastic packaging by a No. 1 through
    seven in a triangle. So one of the things that we're looking at
    here today is what additional research is needed for better
    plastic characterization, and how could that research yield new
    standards in identification codes? And, you know, Ms. Harrison,
    if you have anything to contribute on that, I'd love to hear
    from you, as well as Dr. Keoleian, whose research was also
    speaking to this.
         Ms. Harrison. Well, quickly, I'd say that those resin
    identification codes determine the--or indicate the material's
    past, not the material's future. They do not automatically
    determine that something is recyclable, even if it has a one.
    It doesn't automatically mean--so if--better research into how
    we communicate to the public with confidence that, yes, this
    was designed for the solution, and--for the system, and that
    the system meets it in the middle, the system can take this, I
    think would be much--a much needed solution. But I'll turn it
    over to Dr. Keoleian.
         Dr. Keoleian. Yeah, I would agree. Identification is
    critical to help with sorting, but I think that other systems
    are necessary to facilitate the sorting, and we should really
    also look at transferability of models that are successful. As
    you know, in the State of Michigan we have a bottle bill, and
    so we have very high quality in terms of our recycled
    containers due to the redemption rates that we have here
    compared to other states that don't have those bottle bills. So
    we have to really look holistically at our solutions.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Yeah, which is part of what we're also
    symbolizing here today, with the great panelists. So I'm out of
    time. I now going to recognize the gentleman from the nice
    State of Florida, who is right, those beaches--you know, us
    Michiganders, not maybe this time of year we're racing to, but
    there are certainly points of time in the year where my
    constituents are either in Florida, or looking to get to
    Florida, so----
         Mr. Waltz. See you in January.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Yeah. So with that, Mr. Waltz.
         Mr. Waltz. Yeah. No, thank you so much, Chairwoman. Dr.
    Hillmyer, I mentioned during my opening statement my visit to
    the Loggerhead Marine Life Center, I saw the, you know, the
    damaging impacts of microplastics in our environment and in our
    food supply. Do you think that biodegradable plastics would be
    beneficial? Seems to me, you know, it could be a bit of a game
    changer in addressing the challenge of microplastics. And if
    so, what challenges to adopting more biodegradable plastics do
    you see?
         Dr. Hillmyer. Congressman, thank you for the question.
    This is a challenging question because of definitions of
    biodegradable that are present. Biodegradable over what
    timeframe and under what conditions? I firmly believe that
    biodegradable plastics will be a piece of the plastics puzzle,
    in that development of materials that can be assimilated by
    microorganisms in either engineered environments, such as
    industrial composting, and places like that, or, if escaped
    into the environment indiscriminately, they could end up then
    biodegrading over some time frame. The issue is--how do we
    really understand the fundamental processes of biodegradation
    over what time scale, and under what conditions that
    biodegradation takes place. I think we want to be careful about
    plastics that are labeled as biodegradable as maybe
    incentivizing, you know, leaving them in the environment.
    That's one thing we have to be careful about.
         But I do think that with proper, for example, compost
    infrastructure, and proper understanding and education around
    this issue, is that biodegradable plastics will play a role in
    the future sustainable polymers. One example would be, as we
    spoke about before, in food contaminated plastics. So, for
    example, if those plastics were compostable, they could go in
    compostable food waste, provided the infrastructure was
    available. So the answer is a little more complicated and
    nuanced, but I will end by saying yes, that it is a piece of
    the plastics puzzle, and how we will solve it. Biodegradable
    polymers will play a role.
         Mr. Waltz. Yeah, thank you, and the answers always seem to
    be much more complex than most people, including this
    Committee, fully appreciates. Mr. Baca, we discussed that China
    has banned the import of plastic recycling for processing from
    the United States and many other countries. The claim is that
    it's due to the poor quality of the plastic bundles being
    imported. Do you agree? One, do you agree, and do you believe
    that China has other ambitions behind the recent ban? If so,
    what do you think they are? And I just have to ask more
    broadly, what would it mean for the U.S. if we were to
    completely cede leadership to China in advanced recycling?
         Mr. Baca. Congressman, thank you so much for that
    question, and I 100 percent agree with you. We should not be
    ceding leadership on the issue of advanced recycling to any
    country right now. I think when you get to the issue of
    contamination, the biggest challenge we have right now is
    really a fragmented system, where you have 9,000 jurisdictions
    across the United States doing 9,000 different things. I think
    there's a very appropriate role for Congress here to develop a
    set of minimum standards that work to improve recycling access,
    recycling education, recycling outreach, and recycling
    collection. That will definitely streamline the processes to
    getting more plastics, and all material, frankly, into the
    system.
         I think when it comes to the issue of advanced recycling,
    the good news that I want to share with this Committee is that
    advanced recycling is actually being built at a commercial
    scale. The fundamentals that have guided the market development
    of advanced recycling continue to change, and there have been
    tremendous breakthroughs in advanced recycling that allow us to
    capture all plastic materials, turn them into virgin quality
    plastics, and re-use them again, and again, and again. You
    know, there's a couple of examples that I would give you. You
    know, a pouch, something that you use to get your food, that's
    now recyclable because of breakthroughs in advanced recycling.
    Foam food containers is another great example of what that
    breakthrough is.
         The point is is technology is not static. It evolves over
    time, and the work that this Committee is doing in laying the
    foundation to ensure our global leadership is one I highly
    commend you work toward.
         Mr. Waltz. No, thank you for that, and I agree, I think
    that is an appropriate role for Congress, but then also that
    education piece--I can tell you, my own family we get confused
    on what is recyclable, what is not. I'm an avid recycler. I
    hate the waste, but it is difficult to figure out, even going
    back and forth from D.C. and various places in Florida, so I
    think those are absolutely appropriate roles, and I look
    forward to working with this Committee to move the ball
    forward. I yield my time.
         Chairwoman Stevens. And with that, we're going to
    recognize our next Member for 5 minutes of questioning. It
    looks like we might be moving to Mr. Beyer for 5 minutes of
    questioning. You are now recognized. OK, wait, pardon me, Mr.
    Tonko's sitting right here. Sorry, we're on the screen. We're
    going to--Don, we're going to hold on you, and we're going to
    recognize my good friend from the great State of New York, Mr.
    Paul Tonko.
         Mr. Tonko. Thank you, Madam Chair, and, first things
    first, happy birthday, and great to see your mom in the
    audience, in the--not the virtual setting, but the real
    setting, since she had a major role to play in the celebration,
    the annual celebration. We say thank you to her for delivering
    a great Member of Congress.
         So I thank you for holding today's hearing, and for your
    efforts to advance solutions to address our growing plastic
    waste problem. Today America's recycling systems face
    exponentially greater volumes of plastic waste, with more
    complex and multi-layered plastic products than it was ever
    designed to handle. Even as the U.S. recycling market has grown
    more broadly, our plastic recycling systems have not kept pace,
    and, when these systems are overwhelmed, we risk environmental
    damage, hard to clean pollution, and, most importantly, grave
    danger to human health. We need swift and bold action at both
    ends of this problem, making investments in recycling R&D, with
    strong oversight of those programs, while also focusing
    individually as a society, and as a government, on the urgent
    need to reduce the amount of plastic waste that we do indeed
    generate in the first place.
         So when it comes to R&D, several Federal agencies carry
    out R&D and standards development programs related to plastics
    recycling, material substitutes, and data gathering. However, I
    was astonished to learn that there is currently no coordinated
    effort to facilitate multi-agency collaboration to reduce
    plastic waste and improve recycling R&D. So, Dr. Keoleian, what
    do you think the role of the Federal Government should be in
    supporting cross-cutting R&D and innovation necessary to
    address our plastic waste reduction and recycling challenges?
         Dr. Keoleian. That is an excellent question, and clearly
    there needs to be coordination, in terms of this R&D, through
    the Federal Government so that we can most efficiently use our
    R&D resources to target the most significant challenges and
    bottlenecks in our system. And I really recommend--we developed
    this first characterization--you may have seen the spaghetti
    diagram of the flow of plastics through the economy, from
    production, to use markets, to end of life, but it is--some of
    the areas are incomplete. We don't have data in certain areas
    to understand what resins are going into what systems, so I
    first recommend that we really do a more in-depth
    characterization of the different resins, and uses, and end of
    life management strategies so we understand fully the problem.
         And then the solutions really need to be looked at so that
    we can develop infrastructure that's going to deal with, you
    know, long-lived products like buildings and automobiles versus
    packaging. So I think that we, through a characterization of
    the streams, can then decide which types of materials we want
    to go after, and what end-use products. And so coordination is
    definitely key, and I think that starting out with an overall
    accounting of the problem will facilitate better use of
    resources.
         Mr. Tonko. Thank you. And Dr. Hillmyer, I'm very concerned
    about the climate impacts of plastic production, which are
    primarily caused by the use of fossil fuel feed stocks. What
    environmental benefits, such as lower emissions from
    production, are associated with your work in developing
    alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics?
         Dr. Hillmyer. Congressman, thank you for the question.
    It's pretty clear that turning to renewable resources for
    plastics will ultimately be the future in the long run, and the
    research associated with how to efficiently convert those
    materials from annually renewable resources like plants, that
    sequester CO2, is really of high priority. The
    bottom line is that the ability to convert sugars from plants
    to chemicals that we can ultimately use in the manufacture of
    plastics, requires fundamental research to support new
    technologies that stem from that, because you're competing with
    an industry that is very efficient, and has many efficiencies
    associated with the conversion of fossil resources. So we work
    on this in the center, in trying to understand how to use
    renewable resources, how to convert them efficiently, into
    molecules that have utility in the polymer and plastics arena.
    The basic research is coming along, and--but more effort is
    needed to make it both technologically and economically
    competitive with petrochemically derived materials.
         Mr. Tonko. Thank you so much. And, with that, I say
    welcome Maria Marcotte, and thank you, Chair Stevens. I yield
    back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Well, thank you so much. You really
    are the sweetest friend, Mr. Tonko. And with that, allow me to
    recognize my colleague from Ohio, who's just been a really
    great collaborator on this work, Mr. Gonzalez.
         Mr. Gonzalez. Thank you, Madam Chair, happy birthday. And
    thank you to our witnesses for being here today, and for your
    expertise. I agree, Congress must get to work on ways to
    accelerate innovation in plastics and battery recycling, reduce
    the environmental impact of their consumption, and increase the
    economic value and security of domestic resources and supply
    chains. Recycling, and innovations in recycling, need to be a
    key part of addressing the climate challenge, as Mr. Hillmyer
    just discussed. It is of critical importance that we consider a
    comprehensive government approach to spur innovations through
    R&D and coordination across relevant Federal agencies on the
    work. That's why I was proud to join the Chairwoman in
    introducing the Plastics Waste Reduction and Recycling Research
    Act this Congress, and applaud her leadership on this issue.
    It's also importance to recognize the unique role of the
    Department of Energy (DOE), and its National Labs, in enabling
    next generation research in plastics optimization and advanced
    recycling.
         Mr. Baca, I want to start with you. In your prepared
    remarks you describe ACC's work with DOE and its National Labs.
    So my question is, how is the Department of Energy's Office of
    Science uniquely positioned to conduct research to solve
    challenges in this space?
         Mr. Baca. Congressman, thank you so much for that
    question. Let me start off by saying this, all in regard to the
    comments about the climate challenge, first off. Plastics
    overall have a much lower carbon footprint than any other
    material. They've been critical, as I mentioned in my
    statement, to light-weighting vehicles and insulating our
    homes, and some of the work that we're doing with the
    Department of Energy and our National Labs is really focused on
    that ability to understand the lifecycle of plastic materials,
    and ensure that we understand its impact on the environment.
    That work is currently happening. We've been working with a
    variety of the National Laboratories, Argonne National
    Laboratory, for instance. We work with the Department of Energy
    on their Plastics Innovation Challenge.
         The key thing is that this work is happening right now.
    We're working with some of the leading scientists in the world
    to examine and research the best ways to recover, reuse, and
    recycle more of our plastic materials. So I commend the work
    the Committee is doing. Our industry is happy to be working
    with this. There's a critical role for the Department of
    Energy. There's also a critical role for the National Labs to
    ensuring that we study the best uses for plastic recycling
    going forward.
         Mr. Gonzalez. Thank you. And then, as a follow-up, is
    there anything that should be done to facilitate more effective
    use of DOE's work by other stakeholders or other agencies, and
    are there mechanisms needed to promote more public/private
    partnerships through these programs?
         Mr. Baca. Absolutely. We could always be doing more to
    promote more public/private partnerships. Many of us on this
    meeting today, our organization collaborates very often with
    groups like The Recycling Partnership, The Alliance to End
    Plastic Waste, Closed Loop Partners, to name a few, to create a
    circular system here. That private/public partnership is an
    excellent model, in the sense that we are able to capture more
    plastic and collaborate on a solution. The work being done by
    the DOE and the National Labs, for instance, those findings
    should further inform the work we're doing. So, yes, I think
    we--part of the work I think this Committee can do is connect
    those dots to bring the stakeholders together.
         To solve the problem of plastic waste, it's going to
    require a tremendous amount of collaboration. Not one industry
    is going to solve it. It's going require collaboration across
    the entire plastics value chain. It's going to require
    collaboration with scientists and engineers, the National Labs,
    government, NGO's. And so, yes, connecting those dots I think
    would be a very critical first step for that work.
         Mr. Gonzalez. Great. And then my final question for you,
    so there's sometimes some false narratives about advanced
    recycling. Could you discuss how important advanced recycling
    and innovative technologies will be to addressing the climate
    challenge?
         Mr. Baca. 100 percent. Advanced recycling is a critical
    component to solving the plastic waste challenge. We are
    developing advanced recycling technology at a commercial scale.
    One of our member companies, Eastman Chemical, is building a
    plastic to plastic facility in Tennessee that's going to cost
    about $250 million. It's critical because what advanced
    recycling does is it takes very difficult, hard to recycle
    plastic--think, for instance, a pouch that is manufactured
    today to keep your food fresh. That is light, it requires less
    water produced, it's easy to transport from a carbon
    perspective, but is very difficult to recycle from a mechanical
    perspective. Advanced recycling takes those types of items,
    breaks them down to their chemical building blocks, and creates
    virgin quality plastic that allows it to go into very demanding
    applications, like food contact, pharmaceutical, and medical.
    And advanced recycling is going to be key as part of that
    comprehensive strategy that the Congresswoman from Texas
    mentioned, that all of the above strategy we need to solve the
    plastic waste problem.
         Mr. Gonzalez. Fantastic. Well, thank you for that. Thank
    you to our witnesses again, and to Madam Chair, and I yield
    back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. And with that we'll now recognize Mr.
    Beyer, from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
         Mr. Beyer. Thank you, Madam Chair, very much, and I want
    to thank your mother for doing the hard work 29 years ago and
    giving birth to you, so I'm glad she's here with you today on
    your birthday.
         I want to say that I am very supportive of this Act, and
    I'm all in on more research and development, and I do believe
    that there's better living through chemistry, but I also think
    the elephant in the room is why not less plastics? We seem to
    spend an awful lot of time talking about recycling, and putting
    plastics together, but our colleague Alan Lowenthal from Long
    Beach has a banning single use plastics bill. There are now 69
    countries that have banned plastic bags. There are at least
    dozen that banned microbeads, including the United States and
    the U.K. Dr. Keoleian, I know you're all about sustainability.
    Is there not--are we not missing a big piece of this just by
    thinking about better ways to use less plastics?
         Dr. Keoleian. Yes. You make a very good point and
    observation. We really need to look holistically at solving our
    problems, in terms of providing goods and services economically
    and sustainably. And yes, plastics do afford benefits of light-
    weighting and safety, you know, protecting products, but there
    is--you know, we really do need to look at--what we do in life
    cycle assessment is look at the impacts in production, use, and
    retirement, and evaluate the total energy, greenhouse gas
    emissions, and waste. And there are definitely opportunities
    today where we could substitute materials, use more durable
    solutions, and reduce, you know, the use of plastics.
         Plastics clearly have a critical role in our society, but
    I think we could be smarter with substitutions, and--because if
    we just focus on recycling, we could actually increase the
    proliferation of plastics, and actually make recycling more
    challenging, and the volumes could go up, which means more
    resources. So, as you know, we are in a climate crisis. We need
    a different calculus about how we look at sustainable systems
    and solutions, and so I think it's really critical that, when
    we evaluate innovations in recycling infrastructure, we look
    from a life cycle lens.
         And, you know, plastics are carbon intensive. There are
    other materials that are less carbon intensive, but they are--
    you know, they do offer advantages. But you get these tradeoffs
    that occur, and it's important to use a systems approach to
    address it.
         Mr. Beyer. Yeah, sometimes even just little things--like,
    you see on Capitol Hill, many Members will carry around the
    big, you know, 32 ounce or 64 ounce water bottles, which is a
    huge improvement over buying yet another water bottle, you
    know, a dozen at a time.
         Ms. Harrison, you have a background in ocean plastics,
    among other things, and--which is--just scares the dickens out
    of me. You know, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the
    size of Texas, and that's one of only five major garbage
    patches in the world. I mean, I just read we have up to two
    million tons of plastics per year entering the ocean through
    our rivers. What are we going to do to address this?
         Ms. Harrison. Well, I think it gets back to your first
    question. I agree that recycling will not solve this. Recycling
    is part of a circular economy, but it is not the solution.
    Recycling is a reaction. Recycling only happens when there's a
    big enough pile that someone can turn into something new. If we
    wait for that pile to accumulate in the ocean, we have missed
    our opportunity to prevent it from happening in the first
    place.
         Yeah, I started off by studying turtles, and a couple
    years ago I was on a research ship that took corporate execs
    and, actually, my biologist--my lead biologist instructor from
    college, she joined me on this trip, because I said, don't you
    want to join corporate executives in the middle of the ocean to
    see the plastics up front in the Sargasso Sea? And we jumped in
    the middle of the water. We jumped in the Atlantic Ocean 50
    kilometers east of Bermuda, and we saw the microplastics, but
    we also macro. We saw fishing gear, we saw toilet seats, we saw
    sporks. If we wait for sporks to be in the middle of the
    Sargasso Sea, we have waited too long. We have to talk about a
    system solution that takes into concepts--that takes R&D
    concepts and marries them to economics. I love this
    conversation about cross-agency collaboration. We must think
    about it from a system point of view so we prevent the problem,
    not just cleanup the problem.
         Mr. Beyer. Thank you very much, and I yield back, Madam
    Chair.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Great. And, with that, allow me to
    recognize my friend and colleague Dr. Baird for 5 minutes of
    questioning.
         Mr. Baird. Thank you, Madam Chair, and, again, happy
    birthday. Ranking Member Waltz and our witnesses, we really
    appreciate all of you being here. And I really appreciate Ms.
    Harrison mentioning Polywood of Indiana, that makes outdoor
    furnitures out of detergent bottles. And then just last week I
    spoke to the ERI, which is the Electronic Recyclers
    International, a company located in my district which
    specializes in electronics recycling. And while, yes, this
    hearing pertains to and focuses on the plastics recycling, I
    believe that some of the themes remain the same when we view
    recycling at a global level. And this is an issue that you
    mentioned in your testimony, Dr. Keoleian.
         The United States exports waste to developing countries,
    which includes both plastics and electronics waste. I'd discuss
    the national security and the counterfeiting which occurs from
    exporting electronics waste, but that is but one issue. And as
    such countries also present severe environmental harm by
    improperly disposing of these materials, that being plastics as
    well as the electronics. Realistically what's happening when
    such countries import these plastics, and is there anything
    that we can be doing to help in the disposal and make sure it's
    handled properly? Dr. Keoleian?
         Dr. Keoleian. Yeah. So one thing--just focusing on
    electronic waste, I know the GAO (Government Accountability
    Office) did a study and showed that there is a lot of illegal
    activity of exporting waste, hazardous waste, and so one
    activity that the Congress could do is strengthen the auditing
    and, you know, crack down more on this illegal activity,
    because that is posing problems in terms of, you know,
    hazardous waste, and how they're managed improperly in
    developing countries. So--and then we've talked about, you
    know, setting up the infrastructure here so we're not
    exporting. I think we need to take responsibility--total
    producer responsibility in terms of how our products are
    managed at end of life, and we can't rely on exporting. And I
    think that there's a recognition that we also want to have
    leadership in setting up a system to be able to properly manage
    products like electronics to reduce risk. So I think, one,
    accountability in terms of enforcement of the current
    regulations that we have on electronics waste would go a long
    ways.
         Mr. Baird. Thank you for that. Dr. Hillmyer, in your
    testimony you suggest bio-based fuels--I'm changing direction
    here a little bit. You suggest that bio-based products would
    make for promising materials to use in place of some of the
    traditional manufacturing materials, and so, with my ag
    background, I'm interested in how agriculture might play a role
    in solving some of these issues, and provide the raw materials
    for making alternative materials that would function for the
    same purpose. So do you have any comments in that regard?
         Dr. Hillmyer. Congressman, thank you, absolutely. There's
    really--I spoke about in my testimony bio-based products, the
    idea that you would use annually renewable crops to generate
    not only new chemicals, Congressman, but actually incumbent
    chemicals that could be drop-in replacements for petroleum-
    based materials I think is an active and important area of
    research. One area that is, I think, important now is the
    ability to use non-nutritive biomass, you know, you can imagine
    grasses and woody biomass, so that there's no disruption of the
    food chain. But, of course, it turns out that it's a lot easier
    to process things like corn, and sugar beets, and other
    materials that have sugars that are more readily accessible to
    fermentation processes, for example. That basic research, and
    that fundamental understanding of how to convert those bio-
    based resources, into both new chemicals and drop-in
    replacements is in need of more effort and more research to
    make these processes technologically viable. In the fullness of
    time, using, like I said, non-nutritive biomass I think is a
    really important goal for the industry.
         Mr. Baird. Thank you, and I see I'm out of time, so I
    yield back, Madam Chair.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Perfectly on time. And, with that, the
    Chair is going to recognize Dr. Bill Foster for 5 minutes of
    questioning.
         Mr. Foster. Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, Mr. Baca, first
    off, thank you for your shoutout to Argonne National Lab, not
    only because I represent Argonne, but it's really a perfect
    example, you know, the research you cited, of why this
    Committee is committed on a bipartisan basis to doubling DOE's
    budget across the full range of its mission. It's just one
    small but important part.
         So my question to anyone that wants to try, what do you do
    with high performance plastics? You know, how do you deal with
    plastics that have, you know, glass fibers for structural
    strength, or colorance, or carbon-black? You know, are there
    classes of really high performance plastics, you know, high
    temperature thermosets, like, you know, polyimides, like
    Kapton, the epoxies and so on, for which there really is not
    going to be a realistic recycling scenario, or--maybe short of
    pyrolyzing them? You know, what fraction of the current and
    potential market is this? Should we just focus on the generic
    plastics, and acknowledge that there's a--some classes of
    hopefully low volume plastics that are just going to be really
    tough, and we should, at least for now, give up on them? Anyone
    want to take a stab at----
         Dr. Hillmyer. Congressman, I don't mind taking at stab, at
    least at the--some aspect of it. I think you have an important
    point, in that high performance materials, for example,
    composite materials, certainly have challenges associated with
    how to recycle them, but the contemporary research in this
    arena, in the thermoset arena, let me just address one of them,
    is actually going on at the Center for Sustainable Polymers, is
    that--how do you--able to reprocess these materials?
    Thermosets, as you may know, are typically viewed as
    unreprocessable, but current research in dynamic exchange of
    covalent bonds allows for these materials to be reprocessed in
    ways that were not available before. So while recycling,
    biodegradation, and other aspects of solving this plastic waste
    dilemma are important, I do think reuse, and repurposing, and
    reprocessing of materials could play a role, and they may very
    well come along with composite materials, and, as you say,
    fiberglass that's in there.
         I'll end by saying that, yes, these are a smaller portion
    of our plastics waste dilemma. I do not think we should ignore
    it, but I think there are more pressing issues in, for example,
    the more common and ubiquitous plastic packaging.
         Mr. Foster. Does anyone want to say--yeah, how do you view
    of the future of this? Is it going--are we going to go more and
    more to solvent-type recycling, or, you know, what are the
    future technologies? Or just do a really good job with
    mechanical separation with robotics and--you know, what are the
    technologies that are going to end up being important to this?
    Anyone?
         Mr. Baca. Well, Congressman, I'll take a shot at that. I
    mean, I think some of the work that I talked about, in regards
    to advanced recycling, right now is largely focused on plastic
    packaging, but there's no doubt that we can learn from some of
    those breakthroughs to see how we scale it across a variety of
    other industries. We, as a plastics industry, represent a
    variety of companies that do a variety of things in this space.
    One key area that our companies are really focused in on is
    helping create a low carbon future by light-weighting vehicles
    and making them more energy efficient.
         We have been working--we've already outlined a roadmap
    that deals with the issue of circularity in the automotive
    space, and it's going to require a lot more effort by work on
    this Committee, and by government agencies, to really think
    about that R&D aspect of that, because what we're doing right
    now is we're solving an issue from a carbon perspective, but we
    now need to think about how we make these materials more
    sustainable, and reutilize them over and over and over again.
         I was speaking to a sustainability fellow at Ford, and,
    you know, even thinking about their vision a little bit, with
    the electrification of cars and autonomous vehicles, for
    instance, you know, those parts are valuable. They have high
    value that could be used again and again, so there's no doubt
    that more work needs to be done. My hope would be that some of
    the work and the breakthroughs on things like advanced
    recycling could eventually extend into some of these other
    applications.
         Mr. Foster. You know, so it's--I think it's in Germany
    where they're--actually have very serious requirements on
    recyclability for cars they're manufacturing. Is that a correct
    remembrance of some story I've seen? You know, I guess, you
    know, you're talking about the dream of having, you know, cars
    that are assembled by robots at the factories, and then at the
    end of their life they drive back to the factory, then the same
    robots that put them together take them apart, and separate
    them--melt down the plastic parts and cast them into new
    pieces, you know, that--sort of as an ultimate endpoint. But
    the Germans I thought were actually making some requirements
    already on cars.
         Mr. Baca. I don't know off the top of my head,
    Congressman. We could definitely get that submitted for the
    record. But I think your point is spot on, just what you said.
    If you think of a futuristic world here, and the manufacturing
    of vehicles, that vision you outlined is one that I think we
    wholeheartedly subscribe to. The material is super valuable. It
    adds tremendous value. It's not waste. And if we could capture
    that material, break it down to its building blocks and re-use
    it again, that's not just good for the environment. It's a
    sustainable product, it reduces our reliance on natural
    resources, and it's going to create circularity and
    sustainability across a variety of industries.
         Mr. Foster. Yeah. And all the leftover parts won't have
    motor oil sprayed all over it. I guess my time is up, so I'll
    yield back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. OK.
         Mr. Baca. Thank you, Congressman.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Thanks. And now the Chair will
    recognize the Congressman from Michigan, Peter Meijer, for 5
    minutes of questioning.
         Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Madam Chair, and once again, on
    behalf of a fellow Member of the Michigan delegation, happy
    birthday. Just wanted to again thank both our Ranking Member
    and our Chair for hosting this Subcommittee hearing, and I
    think it's an incredibly important topic, and one that, in West
    Michigan, we care deeply about. We have two landfills in our
    largest county, Kent County, one of which is nearing the end of
    its lifecycle, and I'm proud to say that our county and local
    officials are looking at ways of turning it into a sustainable
    business park in order to recapture the value stream that right
    now is being disposed of. And I want to also appreciate the
    Ranking Member's remarks on the idea of a circular economy, and
    what we can do to really close down some of those waste
    streams. And obviously single use plastics is a main one. The
    plastics that are not getting recycled that are recyclable are
    also incredibly significant, but ever since the 2018 National
    Sword policy by China, we lost one of our most valuable output
    mechanisms and sorting mechanisms for dealing with that
    comingled, but recyclable, waste.
         We also have a very strong plastics industry in our Third
    District that supports thousands of jobs, and the chemical
    industry, and auto manufacturing, and even in the packaging of
    breakfast cereals. I have Battle Creek in my district, Cereal
    City U.S.A., so plastics plays a vital role. I guess one of my
    questions, first for Mr. Baca, as we're thinking about single
    use plastics and compostable plastics coming on board, and I
    know we've spoken about some of the difficulties of-- or just
    the contamination that can occur when compostable or
    biodegradable plastics are introduced into a recyclable plastic
    stream, what are the opportunities to be shifting those single
    use applications into a biodegradable or compostable
    alternative?
         Mr. Baca. Well, Congressman, thank you for that question,
    and I think both of those are part of that all of the above
    solution that the Congresswoman from Texas mentioned here. I
    think the key point that I would mention regarding this, and
    this kind of cuts across a variety of comments that were
    already made today, innovation is going to be what wins the day
    on solving this problem, not bans, and not more regulation.
    Innovation on how we deal with compostability, innovation on
    how we deal with deal with biodegradability, innovation on how
    we create a circular economy for plastics, where we're using
    valuable material over and over again, that is what circularity
    is. What that will ultimately create is a low carbon future
    that all of us want, because it would require us using less
    natural resources to create these products.
         So to your--to the specific point of your question, I
    think this goes back to the overarching theme of what this
    Committee is talking about today. More work is needed. We need
    to think and leverage the best of what we have, whether it's
    the Department of Energy, whether it's our National Labs,
    whether it's the Commerce Department. All of these agencies
    play a very critical role in connecting the research dots to
    ensure that science guides the expansion of things like
    biodegradability, research guides the things like
    compostability, and collaboration continues to guide the work
    around circularity.
         Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Baca. And, Dr. Keoleian, I
    really enjoyed reading your testimony, and it's good to welcome
    a witness from the Great Lakes State. I should note that your
    professorship at the University of Michigan is named for Peter
    Wege, who is a son of West Michigan, and directed much of his
    energy and philanthropy into environmental causes. He coined
    the term economicology, combining economy and ecology, so very
    much a believer that we need to be caring for the environment,
    but doing so in a way that is economically ultimately
    beneficial, which I believe conservatism--or, sorry,
    conservationism, but also conservatism, are. You know, using
    Peter Wege's lens, how should Congress be approaching that life
    cycle of plastic materials to have maximum benefit for the
    economy?
         Dr. Keoleian. Well, in addition to looking at life cycle
    assessment of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, we also look
    at life cycle cost. And, you know, one example, we did a study
    on--for the State of Oregon on bottled water versus reusable
    systems. And clearly there's--you know, using tap water and
    filling a container is going to be much more economical than
    using a disposable bottle. And, you know, this--and the energy
    savings, and the waste is significantly different. So we need
    to be smart and really look at--when we look at solutions, we
    do need to look at the economics, and I believe we also need to
    look at certain regulations and standards, because it's not
    just going to be innovation. I think it's critical that we take
    an interdisciplinary approach, and bring together the
    economics, policy, technology, and behavior.
         Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Madam Chair. My time has expired,
    and I yield back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Great questions. And, with that, the
    Chair is now going to recognize the Congresswoman from the nice
    State of North Carolina, Congresswoman Ross.
         Ms. Ross. Well, thank you very much, Chairwoman Stevens,
    and I hope this is a very, very happy birthday for you. I also
    want to thank our witnesses for joining us today on this
    extremely important issue that affects people's everyday lives.
    In my home State of North Carolina, we're one of the top
    plastic producers in the country. As of 2019 we were ranked in
    the top 10 in the country in terms of number of employees in
    the plastics industry, with over 38,000 employees.
         But we've also played an important role in plastic waste
    reduction and recycling innovation. In 2009, when I served in
    the North Carolina State Legislature, we were facing serious
    issues with litter and sea turtle deaths along the Outer Banks,
    one of the most pristine parts of our State. In response we
    passed a law that banned single use plastic bags in six
    counties along the Outer Banks. While this law was generally
    supported in those communities, it was repealed in 2017. In
    addition, we have researchers at North Carolina State
    University in my district who have been involved in plastic
    waste reduction and recycling research. In addition to the
    company previously mentioned, one graduate of NC State's
    College of Textiles, Bill Johnston, went on to found a
    sustainable clothing company that converts plastic bottles into
    fiber that is spun into yarn, knitted into fabric, and sewn
    into clothing. And I focus a lot in my questions about the next
    generation because we're such a STEM- (science, technology,
    engineering, and mathematics-) focused area of the country.
         And so, to all the witnesses, I want to ask you how we
    inspire the next generation to get involved in STEM fields, to
    be excited about recycling, and not using plastics in the first
    place. We've seen so much leadership from the next generation
    about climate issues, and about things like recycling. Beyond
    teaching kids in schools, how can we better encourage them to
    pursue education and careers like you all have?
         Ms. Harrison. I would be happy to jump in, and, as a
    graduate of a North Carolina university, UNCG ( University of
    North Carolina--Greensboro), I'm happy to practice this
    research. I--my degree was in Human Ecology and Natural
    Resources, how we put this all together, and what's what I want
    to look for as I'm inspiring young people, and young diverse
    people, to be involved.
         When we think of how we engage kids into this space, I
    think we often think about campaigns. We've all seen those.
    What we really need is to spark the innovation of our youth
    into looking to the system solution that we keep talking about.
    We can't just R&D our way. We can't just look for a singular
    technology. We have to really think about pivoting from how do
    we respond to the problem to how do we prevent it from the
    first place? How do we know, from the very concept of design,
    whether it's an advanced plastic material, like we were just
    talking about, or packaging? We know whether it's going to be
    linear, a landfill, or circular, that it can become something
    else. That is the work that The Recycling Partnership is doing
    to advance diversity in this space to bring young minds to
    think about it holistically.
         Ms. Ross. I think I'm going to move on to my next question
    so that I can get another one in, but somebody wants to
    amplify, please do so. So this one's for Dr. Hillmyer. Last
    month the Department of Energy announced investments of up to
    14.5 million dollars for R&D to cut waste and reduce energy use
    to recycle single use plastics. How does your research group,
    and others working on chemical recycling technology, integrate
    a sustainable chemistry or green approach with your research in
    order to design ways to minimize or neutralize any potential
    harmful byproducts of the chemical recycling process?
         Dr. Hillmyer. Thank you, Congresswoman. We work hard on
    this--we'll call it advanced recycling in the subset of
    chemical recycling, and really trying to understand the
    fundamentals of how you can take established plastics and ones
    that we design on purpose to be efficiently chemically recycled
    in--let's--and we commented on--about use of solvent or in
    green chemistry ways that don't require solvent, that require
    stimuli such as temperature or light, that allow you to turn
    plastics that are useful in their everyday application
    efficiently back to the molecules from which they came using
    the principles of green chemistry. If we can do that, those
    molecules can then be--can generate virgin plastic that has the
    same benefit.
         Ms. Ross. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Great. And, with that, we're going to
    recognize Mr. Conor Lamb, Congressman from the nice State of
    Pennsylvania, for 5 minutes of questioning.
         Mr. Lamb. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, we are nice. So
    nice, in fact, that we, on behalf of the whole State, we'd like
    to wish you a happy birthday today as well. To our witnesses,
    thank you for hanging on this long. Dr. Hillmyer, I kind of
    wanted to pick up where I think you were leaving off, which
    is--of course, our jurisdiction on this Committee really is to
    try to move forward the Nation's research agenda, and help
    answer kind of unanswered questions, particularly ones of a
    longer term nature that individual businesses might find
    profitable to answer on their own. So would you mind just kind
    of summarizing, or commenting on, the state of knowledge about
    where we're going in composting, and the breakdown of, you
    know, so-called biodegradable recyclables and plastics, and
    maybe give me a little bit more specific insight into, you
    know, if there's two or three big questions that we can really
    help answer, say, in the next decade, what are they?
         Dr. Hillmyer. Thank you, Congressman. This is an area that
    I'm quite passionate about, and very interested in, and I'll
    reiterate what I said earlier is this word biodegradation, over
    what timeframe, and under what conditions? And I think this is
    where the basic research plays a key role, is understanding
    exactly what happens, let's say in industrial compost, at high
    temperature and high humidity, as opposed to maybe backyard
    compost, or in the environment? And how to differentiate the
    chemistries, and differentiate the fundamental processes that
    go on in those different environments so you can understand and
    predict the lifetimes of these materials in the environment.
         The second piece that's important, I think, is what do
    they break down to, and how do we understand we're not just
    generating, for example, smaller shards of plastic that are
    recalcitrant? And so, following it all the way through the
    breakdown process, and understanding both the physical
    phenomena and the chemical phenomena are critically important,
    and we have research in the center on this, really trying to
    understand those fundamental processes. How do microorganisms
    break down what ultimately results from, let's say, the
    hydrolysis or biodegradation of compostable plastics?
         I view this, again, as a piece of the solution to plastic
    waste, but it will come with infrastructure and clear education
    and understanding of what is meant by compostable, and how the
    processes actually take place. I think this is a really
    important contemporary area of research. More research is
    needed to understand the design factors, what you might build
    into the plastic to have it break down under certain conditions
    in efficient ways. And I love the idea of a systems approach,
    where it's design of molecules, evaluate performance, and
    understanding end of life scenarios that allow a complete
    lifecycle to be understood at a very fundamental level.
         Mr. Lamb. Well, I very much appreciate that, and I think
    the Chairwoman's bill will certainly help us advance toward
    that goal. Do any of our other witnesses want to answer my
    question in the minute 50 I have remaining, just kind of
    clarifying the specific question that you would like to see us
    help answer in the next decade or so?
         Ms. Harrison. I'll say quickly that I would encourage this
    Committee to--when they think about composting, I very often
    hear people thinking about composting because recycling--the
    to-do list for recycling seems hard. When we get--when we begin
    to pivot to what else, we have to ask ourselves, is the to-do
    list for making plastics compostable even longer? Currently 4
    percent of the U.S. population has access to that commercial
    composting. That's significantly less than who has access to
    traditional recycling, so I want to make sure that we're not
    pivoting to something because the current problem seems hard,
    but instead pulling back and saying, how do we, from the very
    concept of the idea, make sure that we have a good solution?
    Dr. Keoleian?
         Dr. Keoleian. Yeah, I would just add that, you know, we
    think of composting as very positive. You know, backyard
    compost--or I compost at my house, I put that compost into my
    garden. It's a soil amendment. But what we're talking about
    here is really dealing with litter, avoiding the litter, and
    it's really a lost resource. You know, this is plastic that
    has, you know, embodied energy in it, and we're just
    dissipating it into the environment to deal with a litter
    problem. So I really think we've got to look critically at what
    we want to make compostable. Again, it's back to holistic
    solutions.
         Mr. Lamb. OK. Well, I really appreciate the [inaudible] we
    can get the Chairwoman's bill passed, it will certainly move us
    down the road to answering some of that. So, appreciate your
    presence and your insights, and, Madam Chairwoman, I yield
    back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Well, thank you, and what a nice note
    to begin to close the hearing out on, because it's true, we've
    got a tremendous piece of legislation, and this hearing was the
    kickoff for this legislative session to really make sure that
    we're on the right track. And, hearing from stakeholders from
    across the spectrum, you know, with Mr. Baca being from the
    American Chemistry Council, that, if you heard in his
    testimony, and I'll repeat it again, is very dedicated to the,
    you know, all hands on deck approach, and also bringing in the
    expertise that we need to hear from, to Keefe Harrison, who,
    you know, just has her finger on the pulse of what's going on
    across the country, and Dr. Marc Hillmyer, who I feel like I
    could--you know, along with Dr. Keoleian, your just wealth of
    knowledge and dedication, both with Dr. Keoleian with the Wege
    Professorship, who, as Mr. Meijer referenced, is, you know,
    just was an American hero, and so dedicated to our State of
    Michigan, both sides of the State of Michigan. And, you know,
    Dr. Hillmyer, sometimes people confuse Michigan and Minnesota,
    but we know you're on the other side of the lake, you know, a
    couple of other sides of the lake, so--and then we can debate
    who really is the land of many, many lakes. But we really are
    grateful for your dedicated research, and your time today.
         And where we find ourselves in this legislative session,
    is, you know, really at I think the tipping point of something
    tremendous. We call today's hearing moving from staggering
    statistics, if you recall hearing me share that just 9 percent
    of our recycling, it--nine percent of our plastics is recycled.
    How do we increase that? I mean, how do we even begin to think
    about doubling to sustainable systems? And the systems
    component, right, moving from staggering statistics to
    sustainable systems, is so important because we hear about, you
    know, the individual enthusiasm, and the consumer enthusiasm.
    And even as Ms. Ross was referencing in her questions, and what
    she's seeing in her district in North Carolina with individual
    entrepreneurs and business leaders, but we really do need a
    systems approach, and this also comes as a unique time as the
    United States is charting a path forward on our broader
    infrastructure as well.
         And--OK, it does look like, as I was filibustering here, a
    colleague from--another colleague from the nice State of
    Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Susan Wild has come in for
    questions, so allow me to pause on my preamble, and recognize
    her for 5 minutes of questioning.
         Ms. Wild. Well, thank----
         Chairwoman Stevens. Ms. Wild?
         Ms. Wild. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I'm sorry to come in
    late. I'm juggling three Committees this morning, so we all
    know how that goes, and so I'm just going to keep it short. But
    I've been listening to as much of this hearing as I possibly
    could because it's an interest of great--it's a topic of great
    personal interest to me. And so what I'd really just--I'll just
    throw this out there to Dr. Keoleian. A recent study concluded
    that large amounts of plastic would accumulate in the
    environment even if we used every currently feasible effort to
    achieve an 80 percent reduction in plastic pollution by 2040.
    You and other experts agree that designing materials for
    recyclability will be key to sustainable plastic waste
    reduction. What steps do we need to take to ensure coordination
    between product design and options for end of life plastic
    management? And that's going to be my only question, because I
    know it's kind of a big, far-ranging question.
         Dr. Keoleian. So one of the things I recommended that we
    emphasize, in terms of the R&D, in terms of the investment
    there, and the research, is that we have industry participate
    with the scientists, with government, to look at what kinds of
    policies could help make innovations more implementable, or
    accelerate the implementation, and also to work with community
    partners. So we really need to look at co-creation of
    solutions. I think that will be really beneficial in terms of
    ensuring that we're going to coordinate between product design
    and end of life. So we need to bring the OEM (original
    equipment manufacturer) to make automobiles in with Marc's
    group, and also involve, you know, those that are responsible
    for end of life recycling infrastructure. So I think that
    interdisciplinary approach, and co-creation of solutions is
    important.
         And then the other is we really need to look at--you know,
    Europe really helped push, you know, reducing the amount of
    waste in automobiles with their guideline. It was mentioned
    about Germany. Well, Europe--the--Europe set guidelines on
    automobiles to reduce the amount of auto shredder residue, the
    amount of waste. And those kinds of policies can also help
    accelerate, you know, solutions that are technological, and so
    I think that's important as well.
         Ms. Wild. Thank you. I have to say, and I--this comes
    somewhat from--well, this--I had a personal experience not too
    long ago where I was on an island in the Caribbean--I know,
    that--right--play me a violin, right? That sounds so sad. But
    anyway, one of the things--and it was a very rustic island, and
    one of the things that really struck me--of course, there are a
    lot of places in the world that just have a tremendous amount
    of trouble moving their trash, quite honestly, because of being
    ocean-locked, and I understand those concerns. As a result, I
    saw little to no effort to recycle, because they're--they just
    had trouble getting plain old trash off the island, let alone
    dealing with plastics recycling. But it was tragic because here
    I was, in a beautiful place with just an abundance of plastic
    waste all over the place.
         And so I think we're going to have to get to a point where
    the manufacturers are looking at that end of life solution,
    that end of plastic life management, where, you know, there's
    some way other than just--because this is such a global
    problem. And if we don't look at global solutions, we're just
    never going to solve it. So thank you very much for your input.
    Thank you all. This has been really very helpful. For--the
    parts that I was able to participate in and listen to, I really
    enjoyed. Thank you. Madam Chair, I yield back.
         Chairwoman Stevens. Excellent. Well, congratulations to my
    colleague for her three hearings, and managing to make it in
    for this one, because your voice and viewpoints are very
    important to us. And, look, we are going to bring the hearing
    to a close. We don't have any more questions. I do want to
    thank our Science Committee staff on both sides of the aisle
    here in the Committee Room, and it is absolutely set up
    expertly, with great professionalism. We were able to do this
    in a hybrid format, as we, you know, start to kind of come back
    to the way things were, and that's never a light switch, as
    we've been learning in this pandemic, but we were able to
    achieve the success and goal of this hearing. And, frankly,
    we're in a nice springboard, as I was saying, to what's next,
    and we're going to continue to leave the record open for 2
    weeks for additional statements from Members, or additional
    questions that the--that Members may have of the witnesses. I
    know we are going to continue to draw down on the expertise of
    this just great panel of witnesses. And so, at this time, the
    witnesses are going to be virtually excused. They're going to
    be excused, and the hearing is now adjourned.
         [Whereupon, at 11:43 a.m., the Subcommittee was
    adjourned.]

                                    Appendix

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                       Additional Material for the Record

               Letters submitted by Representative Haley Stevens

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