The Packaging School’s Post

🌱 Exciting news! The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA) just cleared a major hurdle by passing the Senate! 🎉 Now, it's on to the House for further consideration. BPI believes that Americans deserve the same level of access to compost as they do trash, which is why the RCAA is so necessary. We support the Act because it provides the tools and information we need to understand existing gaps in compost access, collection and processing infrastructure. Without it, we won't be able to reduce the millions of tons of landfill GHG emissions generated from our food and other organic waste in landfills and divert them to be repurposed as a valuable soil amendment. Learn more about this groundbreaking legislation here 🌍: https://lnkd.in/eJN5T7Kd . . . #Composting #Sustainability #RCAA #ActNow #CompostableProducts

Proposed legislation would ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to more formally collect different types of nationwide recycling data. CRI has been advocating for better data collection & reporting at the national level for a decade-plus. Read more updates on U.S. recycling policy in Waste Dive. https://lnkd.in/gnh2uk_G Waste Dive.

The best headline news all week. 🔆 The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, which will help build recycling and composting infrastructure projects, increase data collection and explore a national composting strategy. 🔆 🎬 source: Recycling Today A key part of the bill is to collect data related to curbside and drop-off recycling and composting programs to establish a comprehensive baseline for the U.S. recycling system; and develop and disseminate best practices that states, local governments and Indian tribes could use to enhance recycling and composting. Read here

Two weeks ago, the US Senate passed two bipartisan acts—The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act and Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act. The Acts were introduced after failing to pass the House in 2023. The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act calls on the EPA to explore strategies for implementing a national strategy to manage compostable materials in an effort to reduce the rate of recycling contamination. The Act also calls for a list of MRFs (Materials Recovery Facility) that can manage packaging and food service ware in the US. The Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act calls for the EPA to create and manage a pilot grant program to improve state and local governments' access to recycling collection systems. According to a Packaging Dive article, the grants would range from $500k USD to $15 million USD with priority for communities “at least 75 miles from the nearest MRF.” Read more on the Acts at https://bit.ly/4cdI3Y9 #senate #recycling #composting #sustainablepackaging #circulareconomy

Between 2010 and 2022, the quantity of rubbish-related figures published by Downing Street fell by 6% each year, hindering progress. Published by the Copper Sustainability Partnership [#CuSP], overall datasets released by the #Government over an 11 year period fell by 50%, with just 12 shared publicly in 2022 compared with 30 in 2010. During this time, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs saw its budget slashed, with more than half of funds dedicated to environmental protection removed. #Austerity which continued throughout the decade continued to obstruct large scale research projects, which could have prevented trials of new #waste and #recycling programmes and technologies. Several steps were also taken to stimulate economic growth at the expense of the climate, including a 2013 directive from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills which stipulated regulators should avoid imposing ‘unnecessary burdens on businesses.’ Meanwhile, the UK’s exit from the #EU in 2019 led to widely reported changes in environmental standards, including waste management reporting. ‘The former government has set a dangerous precedent by relaxing its vigilance in regard to environmental reporting. Not only do these reports provide valuable insights that inform waste management policy, but they also hold businesses to account over poor waste treatment practices,’ said Oliver Lawton, Co-founder of CuSP and Managing Director of Lawton Tubes. ‘The diversion of funding away from environmental research and protection means businesses from some of the highest-polluting sectors are now under less scrutiny, derailing the progress that has been made by others to decarbonise.’ ‘Over the last decade the #UK has moved away from the #European community in its commitment to corporate #sustainability, with funding cut for research and regulators given diminished powers,’ added Andrew Surtees, Co-founder of CuSP and Head of Sales at Mueller Europe. ‘In the construction industry, we have seen new products that are neither made with recycled materials nor recycled at the end of their lifecycle pushed by manufacturers, adding to already excessive levels of waste emissions at a time when the sector is falling further behind in its #netzero commitments. The #Labour government’s pledge to minimise waste is welcome but must be backed up by decisive action, starting with a thorough review of the current state of waste and recycling in industries like construction that have long been able to escape scrutiny.’

Ontario municipalities have waste diversion bylaws requiring businesses to recycle. Adherence to these regulations avoids fines and ensures environmental responsibility. Registering with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) like H2 Compliance North America can ensure this compliance for you. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eRQHWRGn #BlueBox #Compliance #WasteManagement #Ontario

"The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA) would strengthen data collection on US recycling systems and explore the potential for a national composting strategy. This legislation would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect and publish data on recycling and composting rates nationwide to provide an accurate picture of performance both at national and state levels. According to the bill's sponsors, this information is critical to the improvement of existing recycling and composting programs and the evaluation of future recycling policies. Conversely, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) would establish a pilot recycling programme at EPA. On a competitive basis, this programme would grant funds to eligible entities to improve recycling accessibility in a community or communities within the same geographic area. The purpose of the programme is to fund eligible projects that would substantially increase access to recycling systems in underserved communities through the use of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure development." https://lnkd.in/eskn6qbj #OrganicsRecycling #Composting

A hundred years ago, a worn shirt would get patched, a blunt saw sharpened, a bottle refilled, a nappy washed, a razor blade changed. Now, the market drives us towards disposal; although the 'local tip' is increasingly a feature of our past. Dr Joe Pickin (Blue Environment Pty Ltd) confronts the trajectory of Victoria’s recent waste management history, which has led us to embracing the circular economy as a guiding principle for our state’s relationship with post-consumer waste. Given the historic and ongoing potential for "private benefit at public cost" in this space, he champions the implementation of product stewardship programs, asserting that those who contribute products to our regional economy must have some level of financial or logistical responsibility for their end-of-life management. Department of Education, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Global Product Stewardship Council, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) #waste #pollution #disposal #productstewardship #circulareconomy #environmentalprotection #policy #environmentalpolicy #wastemanagement

Today’s #NSWCircularEconomySummit, led by Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) CEO Tony Chappel, underscores the NSW Government’s urgent steps to prevent a #landfill shortage by 2030. After years of inaction, new plans are being set to expand waste infrastructure, boost #recycling, and minimise landfill dependency across Greater Sydney. Key initiatives include developing a Waste Infrastructure Plan, finalising a Plastics Plan, and introducing source-separated FOGO mandates. https://lnkd.in/gBaMcchB #CircularEconomy #WasteReduction #RecyclingNSW #SustainableFuture

Interesting and thorough article, Sarah! Would love to chat about it at your convenience - landfills emit methane and are still not the best solution to waste, neither is incineration. Both are bad for the environment, and gasification is a great solution. The Greenville company I told you about KAHUenergy, LLC is turning pharmaceutical and other toxic waste into sources of clean energy, providing a climate-friendly solution to waste management. Mike McCuen James McKissick, MBA Rowland Hanson Matt McCoy Jack Olson check this article out!