IV Policy Objectives

POLICY OBJECTIVES

ACHIEVE LONG TERM SUCCESS AND CIRCULARITY

The Accelerator’s policy proposal is thoughtfully designed to not only address the needs of the system, but also to achieve the following objectives necessary to achieve long term success and circularity:

Public-Private Partnership

Our dual-approach, public-private policy solution recognizes that both industry and government have an important role to play in creating a better recycling system. Currently, the public sector carries the majority of the burden and requires support from the private sector going forward. While our concept draws from best practices around the world, we believe the U.S. system requires a uniquely American approach in which public mechanisms continue to sustain government operations while private mechanisms fund advancements in infrastructure and education to support the system. With stakeholders at the table from a variety of brands, manufacturers, industry associations and material types, the Accelerator has worked to craft sensible, data-driven private funding solutions. We invite public sector stakeholders from the local, state, and federal level to join us at the table to further refine the public funding mechanisms proposed in this dual approach.

Multi-Material Solutions

Our policy approach addresses all curbside recyclable materials, building upon the existing commingled curbside collection and processing infrastructure in the U.S. today. As shown in Figure 1, no single material makes up the majority of the recycling bin and therefore no single material can be held accountable alone for the challenges facing the residential recycling system. 21

FIGURE 1: Estimate of Annual Curbside Recyclable Material Generation per Single-Family Household

RECYCLING IS ESSENTIAL FOR RETURNING VITAL MATERIALS BACK INTO THE ECONOMY.

While some material-specific approaches, such as deposit legislation, have proven effective in recovering select material types, there remains a need for more robust multimaterial collection solutions. By addressing challenges to the system as a whole through material-inclusive rather than material-exclusive solutions, we will simultaneously improve the resilience of the entire supply chain and simplify recycling for residents so they can recycle as easily as they can throw things away.

Focus on Circularity

A circular economy is not possible without recycling. Recycling is essential for returning vital materials back into the economy. It is the only reverse-logistics infrastructure at scale in the U.S. that can successfully close the loop on packaging waste and return those materials back into the supply chain to return further economic value. For this reason, recycling policy is critical to achieving circularity for packaging waste. In this vein, we see sensible recycling policy as a critical piece to achieving circularity and to the success of the overall Reduce, Reuse, Recycle sustainable waste management hierarchy that, when pursued together, can accelerate a more circular economy.

21 Details found in the 2020 State of Curbside Report: http://recyclingpartnership.org/stateofcurbside

Circular Economy

MUNICIPAL RECYCLING PROGRAMS CONSUMERS

RETAILERS

Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) F L O W O F R E C Y C L E D M A T E R I A L S

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RECYCLERS/ REPROCESSORS PACKAGING CONVERTERS BRANDS

The fiscal responsibility of curbside recycling service currently rests with local governments, and thus their taxpaying constituents. Policy solutions must engage all public and private stakeholders in multi-material solutions that enable all recyclable materials to achieve circularity.