NWRA Urges California Lawmakers to Consider Incentives for Domestic Recycling Infrastructure
Arlington, VA – In a letter to AB 1080 sponsor, California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) urged California lawmakers to incorporate in legislation incentives to boost domestic recycling markets and capacity. AB 1080 and its companion bill SB54, legislation known as California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, would require a 75 percent reduction in waste from single-use plastic products by 2030 and would require all single-use plastic products in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2030.
“The changing nature of recycling and waste materials has made it challenging to collect and segregate items and has led to increased confusion as to what is recyclable. The ability to identify recyclability or compostability, and the ability to sort these materials must be considered. We have concerns that these bills may drive product manufacturers to label their materials as recyclable while there is no end market. We suggest that the legislation include incentives to encourage investment in domestic market development,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith.
Investments in a domestic market would have the potential to create greater stability in California’s existing recycling infrastructure and spur the development of domestic processing facilities, in order to solidify a closed loop for single-use plastic products.
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ABOUT NWRA
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that manage waste, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and a variety of other service providers. For more information about NWRA, please visit www.wasterecycling.org.
Contact
Brandon Wright
National Waste and Recycling Association
bwright@wasterecycling.org
202-364-3706
