Rep. Kail to introduce legislation to promote use of advanced recycling technologies for post-use plastics

State Rep. Joshua Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) announced Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation that would allow municipal waste management systems to work with manufacturers using advanced recycling and recovery technologies to recycle post-use plastics.

“Plastics, particularly single-use plastics, are common in modern society and are found in hospitals, food packaging, product packaging, and more,” Kail said in a House co-sponsorship memorandum. “This reality means that globally, we are faced with the challenge of increased waste. Advanced recycling and recovery technologies that are being implemented across the country, and the globe, are providing a solution to that challenge.”

Kail noted that manufacturers can now convert plastics into new plastics, chemicals, raw materials for manufacturing and transportation fuels, providing an alternative to landfilling and incineration and complementing the existing mechanical recycling process.

“With China’s recent rejection of U.S. waste plastics, it is critically important that we advance policies and a regulatory framework that will allow these technologies to flourish,” Kail said.

The legislation would amend Act 101 to allow manufacturers to source post-use plastics from municipal recycling systems.

“Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation so municipal waste management systems have the opportunity to develop sustained partnerships with manufacturers and take advantage of a free market solution to our shared challenge of increasing waste,” Kail wrote in the memorandum.