The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has broadly supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Recycling Strategy draft.
However, in comments submitted on the draft, which is a companion to EPA’s National Recycling goals, ISRI called on the agency to codify the definitions for recycling to create policy consistency. In its comments, the institute said that it fully supports the environmental agency’s work to establish these goals and hoped that its insights would help EPA finalize its attainable objectives.
Specifically, ISRI recommended tweaks to the following objectives in the draft:
Objective 2: Increase Processing Efficiency
ISRI has welcomed the EPA’s efforts to find creative solutions and match needs with resources. However, it pointed out that it is imperative for a market-based approach to continue: There are certain localities where enhanced infrastructure (e.g. upgraded sorting equipment) may address challenges but in other localities, an expanded workforce may increase efficiency. The institute added that the EPA must al recognize that private and for-profit recycling companies have continued to invest over the last two years in equipment and new technologies to produce higher grades of recyclables with greater efficiency.
Objective 3: Improve Markets
ISRI pointed out that recycling is stimulated throughout the US and the world through manufacturer demand for high quality, specification-grade commodities as feedstock, thus achieving successful circularity. Thus, collection without consumption is not recycling.
Click here to read the full text of the comments from ISRI.