Advanced Recycling Technology Innovation Act

Presented By Emilia Rossi

This Movement Is Currently
In The Fundraising Stage.

THE PLASTIC RECYCLING INNOVATION GAP

Current recycling systems fail to address the growing plastic waste crisis due to fundamental technological limitations:

• Only 9% of plastic waste successfully recycled in traditional systems
• Mechanical recycling limited to select resin types and relatively clean streams
• Multi-layer packaging, mixed materials, and contamination defeat current systems
• Each mechanical recycling cycle degrades material quality
• Collection and sorting economics unfavorable for many plastic types
• Food contamination renders much plastic packaging unrecyclable
• Colored, filled, and specialty plastics largely unaddressed
• Material identification challenges prevent effective sorting
• Fragmented approach creates inefficient subscale operations
• Innovation funding insufficient for necessary breakthroughs

Emerging advanced recycling technologies promise solutions for previously unrecyclable streams, but face significant commercialization barriers without coordinated policy support.

OUR ADVANCED RECYCLING INNOVATION FRAMEWORK

Our proposed legislation would establish:

1. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ACCELERATION

• Advanced Recycling Research Centers at national laboratories
• University grant programs targeting breakthrough technologies
• Public-private research partnerships accelerating innovation
• Pilot project funding bridging lab-to-commercial gap
• Testing protocols standardizing technology evaluation
• Lifecycle assessment framework comparing environmental impacts
• Process optimization research improving efficiency
• Catalytic process development for plastic depolymerization
• Biological recycling research for enzymatic decomposition
• Focus on hard-to-recycle plastics ignored by current systems

2. COMMERCIALIZATION & INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

• Demonstration project grants proving commercial viability
• Investment tax credits for advanced recycling facilities
• Loan guarantee programs reducing financial risk
• Infrastructure grants for collection and preprocessing
• Material recovery facility modernization support
• Permitting technical assistance for new technologies
• Market development for recycled plastic products
• Supply chain development connecting waste to processing
• Regional innovation clusters maximizing efficiency
• Technical assistance for community implementation

3. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK MODERNIZATION

• Technology-neutral standards focusing on outcomes
• Permitting pathways clarification for new technologies
• End-of-waste determination protocols
• Risk-based regulatory approaches reflecting actual impacts
• Emissions standards protecting communities while enabling innovation
• Product certification standards for recycled content
• Mass balance accounting frameworks tracking recycled content
• Interstate commerce streamlining for recycled materials
• Feedstock specifications ensuring safety
• Regular regulatory review adapting to technological evolution

4. ECONOMIC & MARKET DEVELOPMENT

• Recycled content procurement requirements creating demand
• Tax incentives for recycled content utilization
• Extended producer responsibility framework development
• Market transparency through standardized reporting
• Landfill diversion incentives directing material to recycling
• Material value optimization research
• Supply chain development connecting processors and users
• Technology export promotion to global markets
• Job creation tracking and workforce development
• Small business participation programs ensuring inclusive growth

5. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & COMMUNITY PROTECTION

• Strict emissions standards protecting host communities
• Transparent monitoring and reporting requirements
• Community benefit agreements for facility siting
• Local hiring and training requirements
• Health impact assessment requirements for new facilities
• Adaptive management responding to operational experience
• Independent oversight ensuring compliance
• Public engagement throughout development and operation
• Equitable distribution of facilities preventing concentration
• Community grant programs supporting local priorities

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

The legislation would establish an Advanced Recycling Innovation Office within the EPA with $500 million in annual funding. Implementation would prioritize:

• Technologies addressing highest-volume unrecyclable streams
• Processes with demonstrated environmental advantages
• Approaches using existing waste management infrastructure
• Solutions appropriate for diverse geographical contexts
• Technologies with lowest implementation barriers
• Continuous improvement through operational experience
• Knowledge sharing accelerating widespread adoption
• Technical assistance helping communities implement solutions
• Regular assessment of program effectiveness
• Stakeholder engagement throughout implementation

Our coalition includes waste management companies, plastics manufacturers, consumer product companies, environmental organizations, recycling operators, and technology developers committed to addressing plastic waste through innovation rather than polarized debates.

Your support will help create the innovation ecosystem needed to address plastic waste streams current systems cannot handle—developing and scaling technologies that complement mechanical recycling with new approaches for previously unrecyclable materials while ensuring environmental protection, community safety, and economic opportunity.