Yesterday the coalition organized by the National Stewardship Action Council met with 30 US Senators’ and Representatives’ offices to discuss the critical need for improved recycling rates that can come from a national recycling refund. I spent my day in meetings with members of both parties, and I came away surprisingly comforted that, by and large, we share similar values of conserving natural resources, improving the supply chains for critical materials, and, of course, wanting to preserve our open spaces.
Large consumer products companies tell me every day that they don’t have enough recycled content to make their packaging as sustainably as they want to, and a national recycling refund is such an intuitive way to help. States with bottle bills see their beverage container recycling rates reach more than 60% with ease, while states without them average recycling rates of only 17%.
If you live in a state with a recycling refund, you know that you don’t see litter from beverage containers in your streams and parks, and you know recycling becomes more embedded in the culture. Time for the US to adopt this model as a whole! There will be plenty of points to debate to hammer out a consensus, but we're ready and able to have that healthy debate. We’re determined to find a bipartisan, pro-business coalition of elected officials and stakeholders who want to see this happen.
Heidi Sanborn, MPA, Jordan Wells, Maia Corbitt, Zach DeWaters, Mike Smaha, Susan V. Collins
#circulareconomy #recycling #legislation #sustainablepackaging
Global SHES Director - Austin Powder
1moSiempre comprometidos en cuidar nuestro medio ambiente. Gracias APM