Megan Quinn, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive
Plastics industry groups and recycling organizations underscored the role of recycling as an economic driver during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
During a meeting of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s environment subcommittee, lawmakers highlighted chemical recycling and e-scrap recycling as two sectors with the potential to ramp up domestic supply chains for critical materials and create jobs. Speakers also urged action on a range of federal legislation meant to make recycling easier or more accessible.
Subcommittee chair Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., acknowledged the implications of the federal government’s role in supporting recycling. He noted that President Donald Trump has specifically called for policies meant to secure critical mineral and rare earth supply chains as a national security measure meant to decrease the country’s reliance on recycled goods from other countries.
“E-waste is so important for our future” for this reason, he said, adding that the rise of data centers and ever-growing use of technology generates a high volume of end-of-life electronics that can be recycled for critical minerals. “E-waste is a commodity that can be repurposed in our fight to not only be energy independent, but energy dominant,” he said.
Speakers also noted that plastics recycling will play a major role in the future of the country’s economy, but that plastic recycling innovations must also be balanced with investments in current recycling infrastructure.
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