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As demand for recyclables plummets abroad, Texas lawmakers back plan to boost demand at home
As demand for recyclables plummets abroad, Texas lawmakers back plan to boost demand at home
A bill designed to encourage Texas manufacturers to use more recyclable materials won final approval Monday. It comes as China and India have implemented policies restricting the import of plastics and other materials.
BY CARLOS ANCHONDO MAY 6, 2019 15 HOURS AGO
*Correction appended
For decades, countries like China and India have bought much of the United States' recyclables, turning them into plastics, paper and other valuable goods. But in recent years, those countries have implemented policies — including banning certain plastic imports — that have cast further doubt on the future of municipal recycling in the United States.
On Monday, bipartisan legislation designed to help offset the sapped demand for recyclables abroad cleared a final legislative hurdle at the Texas Capitol. ... Senate Bill 649, which passed the Senate last month on a 21-10 vote, cleared the Texas House on an informal voice vote. The bill aims to increase the number of Texas plastics and paper manufacturers using recyclables as industrial feedstock to produce consumer and other products.
It will require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to figure out how best to increase demand for recyclable materials among the manufacturing industry, identify the quantity and type of recyclables cities and industrial sources are currently collecting and estimate how much of it isn't currently being reclaimed. The bill also calls for the development of a statewide campaign to educate the public about the economic benefits of the recycling industry and how to properly recycle.
Its passage comes as cities across the United States, and in Texas, are reevaluating recycling programs in the face of a variety of challenges. Some already have canceled them or scaled back.
....
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Jordan Fengel's name
A bill designed to encourage Texas manufacturers to use more recyclable materials won final approval Monday. It comes as China and India have implemented policies restricting the import of plastics and other materials.
BY CARLOS ANCHONDO MAY 6, 2019 15 HOURS AGO
*Correction appended
For decades, countries like China and India have bought much of the United States' recyclables, turning them into plastics, paper and other valuable goods. But in recent years, those countries have implemented policies — including banning certain plastic imports — that have cast further doubt on the future of municipal recycling in the United States.
On Monday, bipartisan legislation designed to help offset the sapped demand for recyclables abroad cleared a final legislative hurdle at the Texas Capitol. ... Senate Bill 649, which passed the Senate last month on a 21-10 vote, cleared the Texas House on an informal voice vote. The bill aims to increase the number of Texas plastics and paper manufacturers using recyclables as industrial feedstock to produce consumer and other products.
It will require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to figure out how best to increase demand for recyclable materials among the manufacturing industry, identify the quantity and type of recyclables cities and industrial sources are currently collecting and estimate how much of it isn't currently being reclaimed. The bill also calls for the development of a statewide campaign to educate the public about the economic benefits of the recycling industry and how to properly recycle.
Its passage comes as cities across the United States, and in Texas, are reevaluating recycling programs in the face of a variety of challenges. Some already have canceled them or scaled back.
....
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Jordan Fengel's name
1 replies
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