[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 28, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4786-H4787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HOUSE RECYCLING CAUCUS

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of 
Mr. DeFazio.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from New 
Jersey is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend Members of the other 
body, Mrs. Snowe of Maine and Mr. Carper of Delaware, for forming the 
Senate Recycling Caucus. Their effort compliments the prior formation 
of the House Recycling Caucus, which I was proud to establish with the 
gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Gillmor.
  I would suggest that the House and Senate Recycling Caucuses work 
together on issues facing the recycling industry in the United States. 
I would also like to urge my colleagues here in the House to join our 
respective caucuses.
  When most of us think of recycling, we think either of the bright 
blue bins in our offices, or of collecting cans, bottles and newspapers 
at home. As important as municipal recycling is to our country, 
however, it represents just the tip of the iceberg of the $30 billion-
plus manufacturing industry that employs over 1.1 million Americans.
  Most of us are probably also unaware that recyclables is one of our 
country's largest export commodities and are

[[Page H4787]]

also one of the bright stars in our country's balance of trade.
  Many like myself see recycling as an important environmental issue 
facing our country, but there are a whole host of other issues that 
face, and possibly inhibit, recycling in the United States, far beyond 
just getting people to throw cans in the proper receptacle. That is why 
we created the Recycling Caucus, so we can focus our efforts on this 
important sector and address not only environmental issues, but also 
issues of trade, energy and commerce.
  Chief among those issues is the very simple statement that should 
guide any legislative efforts that impact this industry. Recyclables 
are not just waste and recycling is not just disposal. In fact, 
recycling is the opposite of both. By thinking of recycling as waste 
and recycling as a disposal activity like trash or garbage collection, 
we risk encouraging unintended consequences that can and do inhibit 
recycling.
  We need to avoid inhibiting recycling efforts because the benefits 
are tremendous. For example, recycling kept over 140 million tons of 
material out of landfills last year. In addition, manufacturing 
products from recycled materials save energy. For example, using 
recycled aluminum can save as much as 95 percent of the energy used 
when producing products from virgin ore. Recycling also reduces eight 
major categories of water pollutants and ten major categories of air 
pollutants, including greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 
manufacturing from scratch.
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank my caucus cochair, Mr. Gillmor of 
Ohio, and our other colleagues who have already joined us on the House 
Recycling Caucus. I also want to thank the members and staff of the 
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries for their assistance over the 
past 2 years in helping us make the idea of the caucus into a reality.
  The Recycling Caucus is a broad-based caucus that will address all 
facets of recycling, with input from a wide range of associations, 
industry groups, experts, environmental organizations and other 
stakeholders.
  Again I want to wish Mrs. Snowe and Mr. Carper much success in the 
other body. I look forward to working with them to promote all aspects 
of recycling in the United States.

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