Sec. 101. National Plastics Recycling Standards Advisory Committee
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Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish the National Plastics Recycling Standards Advisory Committee for a period of not less than 4 years, upon which the Administrator may renew the charter of the Committee pursuant to section 1013 of title 5, United States Code. The Committee shall be composed of 14 members who shall be appointed as follows: 2 members appointed by the Administrator. 3 members appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate. 3 members appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate. 3 members appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives. 3 members appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
Not later than 60 days after finalization of the Committee roster, the Advisory Committee Management Officer, designated pursuant to section 1007 of title 5, United States Code, and the designated officer or employee of the Federal Government, designated pursuant to section 1009 of title 5, United States Code, shall prepare and submit a report to the Administrator confirming that the members appointed under paragraph
(1)represents a fair balance between the points of views from each of the following: Companies that haul or manage municipal solid waste. Companies that manufacture plastic resin. Companies directly involved in the design, production, use, and recycling of plastic materials. Consumer brands and retail companies that sell end products utilizing plastic packaging directly to consumers. Municipalities that administer residential waste and recycling programs. Companies engaged in the advanced recycling of plastic packaging. Companies engaged in the mechanical recycling of plastic packaging. Except as provided in subparagraph (B), each member shall serve a term of 4 years. The initial appointments made by the Administrator under paragraph
(1)shall be for a term of 2 years. Not later than 1 year after its formation, the Committee shall begin conducting a study for the purpose of advising the Administrator in the establishment and implementation of the national plastic recycling standards. In conducting the study under subparagraph (A), the Committee shall solicit information from relevant stakeholders, including— local government officials; and representatives from the plastic, recycling, waste haulers, and advanced recycling industries. The study conducted under subparagraph
(A)shall evaluate and provide recommendations on the following topics: The elements to be included in the national plastic recycling standards. Ways that the national plastic recycling standards may be better harmonized with international, multinational and State efforts, regulations, and chain of custody and certified mass balance methodologies to increase the efficiency and impact of the national plastic recycling standards. The best practices and strategies developed by community recycling programs, including consumer outreach and education, and how and to what extent such practices and strategies can and should be— incorporated into the National Recycling Strategy; incorporated into the activities of Federal agencies to increase the national recycling rate; or potential strategies to encourage the development and implementation of efficient waste collection, sortation, pre-processing, and mechanical and advanced recycling technologies with respect to plastic materials. Ways that the National Plastics Recycling Standards for sorted or partially sorted mixed materials containing post-use plastic may best support the increased use of advanced recycling technologies to create feedstocks for the production of circular plastics and be harmonized with, or exempted from, other Federal, State, and local laws to increase advanced recycling capacity. Ways in which the national plastic recycling standards may increase the supply of materials entering recycling systems and minimizing the incineration, landfilling, and improper disposal of materials in the environment. Potential strategies to address materials that enter the recycling collection system that are not composed of post-use plastics that significantly and adversely impact the advancement of mechanical and advanced recycling processes from achieving annual mandates for recycled plastics in plastics packaging. Any additional authorities or financial resources necessary for the Administrator to improve data collection and the standardization of reporting with regard to the total supply of plastic packaging to enable the analysis of reuse and recycling performance and trends. The potential incorporation of advanced recycling and advanced recycling products into the National Recycling Strategy. Ways that the National Recycling Strategy and other national recycling efforts may be better harmonized with multinational, international, State, and local regulations, programs, and certification programs. The potential expansion of the National Recycling Strategy to— improve and standardize collection and metrics; prioritize innovation in product design, post-use collecting, sorting, and processing; expand public space recycling; improve existing recycling systems and capacities; enhance reporting for recycling, reuse, and compositing bio-based plastics; and incorporate mass balance certification. The benefits of innovative materials on durable goods and infrastructure, such as long-term pavement performance, emissions, plant and construction operations, infrastructure resiliency, and re-recyclability. The environmental, social, and financial benefits of annual mandates for recycled plastics in plastics packaging and the benefits of third-party certification systems for mechanical and advanced recycling. Potential ways that the National Recycling Strategy may improve and optimize the use of certified compostable products. Appropriate financial incentives, increased tipping fees, and other mechanisms, such as packaging fees, to encourage increased collection, avoid wasteful dispositions of post-use plastic products and encourage the development and implementation of waste collection, sortation, pre-processing, and mechanical and advanced recycling technologies. The impact of the use of the American Society for Testing and Materials Resin Identification Codes symbol on plastic products on the rate of recycling in the United States, and whether Federal standards for use of the symbol in consumer outreach and education would help achieve the plastic recycling goal set by the Administrator under the National Recycling Strategy. Not later than 15 months after the date on which the Advisory Committee Management Officer deems a fair balance of Committee membership under section 101(b)(2)(a), the Committee shall complete the study and submit to the Administrator a report on the study conducted under paragraph (1), including— the findings of the Committee; and the recommendations of the Committee. In consultation with the Committee, the Administrator shall— establish training for awareness and implementation of the National Plastics Recycling Standards for employees of the Environmental Protection Agency; and develop educational materials and implement a nationwide campaign targeted toward helping residential, commercial, and industrial consumers understand the role of such consumers in implementing the National Plastics Recycling Standards. There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.