Rep. Stevens Statement Celebrating America Recycles Day

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) released the following statement in celebration of America Recycles Day, the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.

“Since hearing from municipal leaders in my district about the challenges of maintaining local recycling programs, I have advocated for the federal government to lead the creation of a national recycling infrastructure to address our recycling crisis,” said Rep. Haley Stevens. “I strongly believe that the federal government must do more to help state and local governments deal with the costs and logistical burden of recycling. I look forward to continuing my engagement with the Environmental Protection Agency and other stakeholders to identify concrete steps to help our municipalities with their immediate needs as we look to build our country’s recycling and sustainable waste management infrastructure to reduce our reliance on countries like China. On America Recycles Day, I am hopeful that we can work together to leave behind a healthy, safe, and sustainable world for future generations. ”

A recent report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association found that 86% of Americans agree that the world is facing a plastic and packaging crisis, while 77% believe the federal government should take a leading role in addressing our recycling challenges.  

Background: Rep. Stevens on Recycling

• In April, Rep. Stevens sent a letter to the EPA asking for information about the agency’s data collection practices, their progress toward building out a domestic recycling infrastructure, and their work to mitigate the ongoing impacts of China’s plastic ban.
• In June, the House of Representatives unanimously passed Rep. Stevens’ amendment to instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize funding to develop a national recycling strategy to ensure the long-term economic and environmental viability of local recycling programs.
• In July, Rep. Stevens led letters to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler questioning their response to China’s January 2018 ban on certain types of plastic materials and fulfilling their responsibilities to reduce economic and technical barriers to recycling. Nearly 50 Members of Congress signed the letters, which highlighted the lack of leadership from federal agencies responsible for creating and maintaining a viable recycling market in the United States.
• As Chair of the Research & Technology Subcommittee, Rep. Stevens convened the first Science Committee hearing about recycling in a decade after hearing concerns about the long-term viability of local recycling programs in southeast Michigan. Paul Sincock, the City Manager of Plymouth, Michigan, came to Washington to testify during the hearing.
• Rep. Stevens introduced H. Res. 303, a bipartisan resolution expressing support for global Remanufacturing Day. Remanufacturing is the process by which used products are returned to good-as-new (or better) condition, and contributes to sustainable manufacturing by recycling old products.

ICYMI:

Bridge Magazine: Michigan congresswoman pushes national plan to fix recycling woes

Michigan Advance: Stevens: ‘Record’ amount of plastics, rising recycling costs, pose challenges

Bloomberg Environment: Michigan House Freshman Sees Manufacturing, Sustainability Nexus

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