The American Chemistry Council (ACC) applauds the Senate for unanimously passing S. 3742 the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA) and S. 3743 the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) in late July. These bipartisan bills are commonsense steps in the right direction to improve recycling access and data across the U.S.

As Congress returns from recess, ACC encourages the House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and swiftly pass these two recycling bills to send them to President Biden’s desk for enactment into law.

“America’s plastic makers continue to invest billions of dollars to recycle more plastic, but obtaining sources of used plastics to recycle remains a challenge,” said Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics at ACC. “With improved data resources and access to recycling, our systems can better respond to more consumers who are eager to recycle. Plus, these improvements will help plastic makers supply brands and their customers with more recycled plastics for consumer products.”

A year ago America’s plastic makers released 5 Actions for Sustainable Change, which sets forth concrete steps to accelerate a circular economy for plastics. Passing these two bills will build momentum to move forward in Congress on the 5 Actions.

ACC appreciates the hard work of Senators Capito, Carper and Boozman for championing smart recycling legislation in the Senate. We look forward to future collaboration as partners in sustainability.

American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division

The American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division represents America’s Plastic Makers^SM plus the half million+ scientists, engineers, technicians, and other innovators who make plastics for many essential and lifesaving products that are vital to modern life. America’s Plastic Makers continue to embrace change. We’re linking innovation with sustainability, deploying next generation technologies to make plastics lighter, stronger, more efficient and more recyclable, so we can meet our goal for 100% of U.S. plastic packaging to be reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040. We’re making sustainable change to help build a cleaner, safer, more sustainable future for generations to come. 

American Chemistry Council

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the multibillion-dollar business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products, technologies and services that make people’s lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health, safety and security performance through Responsible Care®; common sense advocacy addressing major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. ACC members and chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development, and are advancing products, processes and technologies to address climate change, enhance air and water quality, and progress toward a more sustainable, circular economy.