“Our nation’s recycling system is in need of critical improvements to better serve the American people,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “Together with the historic investments in recycling from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, the strategy will help transform recycling and solid waste management across the country while creating jobs and bolstering our economy.”
The move comes on National Recycling Day, and the same day President Biden is signing an infrastructure bill that included $350 million for solid waste and recycling grants. It also comes amid growing concerns about global plastics pollution.
The vast majority of plastics are made from fossil fuels, and some can take hundreds of years to decompose. According to the United Nations Environment Program, the world produces about 300 million tons of plastic waste annually. A recent study found that the coronavirus pandemic led to more than 8 million tons of excess plastic waste.
The new strategy includes five main objectives — including improving the collection of recyclables and recycling data and reducing contamination in the recycling stream. The EPA also takes a “circular economy” approach, in which a product is sustainably managed throughout its life cycle, from production to disposal or reuse.
The new plan places a priority on addressing the impacts of recycling on poor and minority communities, such as incinerators and scrapyards.
Read more: EPA finalizes its first national recycling strategy