[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 110 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E535-E536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HALEY M. STEVENS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 15, 2020

  Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am proud to introduce the Plastic Waste 
Reduction and Recycling Act with my colleague Representative Gonzalez, 
as well as Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member Frank 
Lucas, who have joined us as leading cosponsors of this bipartisan 
bill.
  Plastic is invaluable in many applications. It's used as a high-
performance material for medical devices and in safety components for 
automobiles. Plastic is also convenient. It's a mainstay in American 
households from our toothbrushes to food storage to shampoo and 
detergent bottles. Global plastic production increased from 2 million 
tons per year in 1950 to 400 million tons annually in recent years. 
What happens to all of the discarded plastic is why I am introducing 
this legislation today.
  We can no longer deny that we face a plastic waste crisis. In 2018, 
the U.S. woke up to the fragile predicament of our plastic waste 
management system. No longer able to ship our plastic waste to 
international markets, U.S. cities were forced to cut longstanding 
recycling programs. Instead, they had to resort to incinerating 
recyclables or tossing them in landfills. There are plenty of reasons 
for why and how we got here; however, a major factor is because we 
failed as a nation to invest in domestic recycling infrastructure and 
policies to account for the growing demand for plastic. As a result, 
today, the U.S. recycles just 9 percent of its plastic waste.
  The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act directs the 
establishment of a plastic waste reduction and recycling research and 
development program to develop a world-leading U.S. industry in 
advanced plastics recycling technologies, and unleash the innovative 
potential of our nation to address our plastic waste crisis and 
generate greater value from the plastics we do produce.
  This approach has the potential to create jobs, develop supply 
chains, and meet environmental needs.
  Most notably, this legislation authorizes research and development 
across several agencies and a range of topics, including plastics that 
are recyclable by design, next generation recycling technologies, 
upcycling into high-value products, and environmental impacts of 
plastic waste. This bill also calls on the Federal government to 
develop a strategic plan for plastic waste reduction and recycling and 
plastic waste remediation and to develop partnerships with States, 
local governments, academia, industry, and international partners to 
achieve those goals.
  Finally, this legislation would help ensure U.S. leadership in 
national and international research and standards development for 
plastics recycling technologies. Advanced sorting

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technologies and updated standards are urgently needed for 
characterizing the multilayered plastic packaging materials used today. 
Most consumers are not even aware that many of these materials are not 
easily recycled by most local materials recovery facilities, which just 
exacerbates the challenges for the facilities, even as consumers are 
trying to do their part.
  This bill alone will not solve the plastic waste crisis in this 
country, but it is an essential and important step. Supporting this 
bill is an investment in our recycling industry and a demonstration of 
our recommitment to American manufacturing jobs and the ingenuity so 
very much needed at this time in our nation's history. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and see it signed into law.

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