Senate approves two bipartisan Capito bills to improve recycling nationwide

The U.S. Senate on July 28 approved two bipartisan recycling bills offered by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, S. 3743, and the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2022, S.3742, received the Senate’s unanimous consent and the U.S. House of Representatives received both bills on Tuesday for consideration.

“Our recycling system provides millions of Americans the opportunity to both protect the environment and contribute to the economy,” Sen. Capito said. “However, a lack of infrastructure — especially in rural America — often hinders communities’ access to recycling.”

“These bills will help address this issue and encourage more recycling across the country,” added the senator, who is ranking member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee.

Sen. Capito joined U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), chairman of the EPW Committee, to introduce the bills on March 3. The EPW Committee passed the bills on April 28.

“These are the latest examples of quality, bipartisan work products coming out of the EPW Committee, and I was proud to help move them across the finish line in the Senate,” said Sen. Capito. “This bipartisan work is a testament to the genuine partnership Chairman Carper and I share, and I look forward to continuing our important work together on future legislation.”

Specifically, S. 3743 would improve data collection on the nation’s recycling systems and explore the potential of a national composting strategy, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Capito’s office. 

If enacted, S. 3743 also would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect and distribute data on recycling and composting rates across the country for evaluating future recycling policies, the summary says.

The second bill, S. 3742, would establish a five-year pilot recycling program at the EPA, which would award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for improving recycling accessibility in a community or communities within the same geographic area, according to another summary the senator’s staff provided.

The goal of the program under S. 3742 would be to fund eligible projects to significantly improve access to recycling systems in underserved communities through the use of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure development, says the summary.

“With a national recycling rate of less than 35 percent, it’s clear we must do more when it comes to improving our nation’s recycling and composting efforts,” said Sen. Carper. “Fortunately, in passing this legislation, we are one step closer to enacting solutions that are good for our planet and our economy.”