House Unanimously Passes Stevens-Led Amendment to Develop a National Recycling Strategy

WASHINGTON – During floor consideration, the House of Representatives unanimously passed an amendment led by Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) in H.R. 3055, the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act.

The amendment, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier (WA-08), instructs the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize funding to develop a national recycling strategy to ensure the long-term economic and environmental viability of local recycling programs.

“After learning about the rising costs and challenges of maintaining local recycling programs in southeast Michigan, I have been working to bring attention to the recycling crisis that is unfolding in communities around the country,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “Our federal government cannot ignore this issue. Plastic use is skyrocketing and our domestic recycling infrastructure is unequipped to keep up, especially in light of China’s new policy to ban the import of most postconsumer recyclable materials, including plastics, which the U.S. and other developing countries have been shipping there for the past 25 years. I look forward to working with the EPA and other federal agencies to create a national strategy to ensure long-term stability for local recycling programs.”  

Background: Rep. Stevens on Recycling

• As Chair of the Research & Technology Subcommittee, Rep. Stevens convened the first Science Committee hearing about recycling in a decade after hearing concerns about the long-term viability of local recycling programs in southeast Michigan. Paul Sincock, the City Manager of Plymouth, Michigan, came to Washington to testify during the hearing.
• In April, Rep. Stevens sent the attached letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler calling on the EPA to create a national strategy to improve U.S. recycling infrastructure and foster the development of new and emerging technologies in plastics recycling.
• Rep. Stevens introduced H. Res. 303, a bipartisan resolution expressing support for global Remanufacturing Day. Remanufacturing is the process by which used products are returned to good-as-new (or better) condition, and contributes to sustainable manufacturing by recycling old products.

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