Legislation championed by U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), co-chair of the Senate Recycling Caucus, focused on improving our nation's recycling and composting systems unanimously passed the Senate Thursday.
"The answers to our problems need to come from the ground up. These bills are the result of the efforts by stakeholders and folks who identified an issue and how they can be solved. Recycling helps reduce waste while also creating jobs and driving innovation. I applaud Senate passage of these initiatives and urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and pass these bipartisan bills," Boozman said.
The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act would require the EPA to collect and make publicly available data on recycling and composting rates across the country. The Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act would establish a pilot rural recycling program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Boozman joined Senate Recycling Caucus co-chair and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) Tom Carper (D-DE) and ranking member Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) to introduce and advance the two pieces of legislation.
In February, Boozman participated in a Senate EPW hearing to gain input from recycling industry leaders on the challenges confronting our nation's recycling infrastructure. Members used that input to improve these legislative initiatives.