# Understanding the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act

The federal government is creating a coordinated program to tackle America's plastic waste problem by funding research and developing better recycling technologies. Right now, the U.S. only recycles about 9 percent of its plastic waste, and much of what we used to send to China for recycling is now ending up in landfills since China stopped accepting it in 2018. This bill aims to change that by investing roughly $85 million per year across five federal agencies to figure out how to recycle more plastic and create new ways to handle plastic waste.

The bill establishes a team of government agencies—including the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and others—to work together on plastic recycling challenges. These agencies will fund research into new recycling technologies, develop better ways to sort and process different types of plastic, and study how plastic waste harms the environment and human health. They'll also work with universities, businesses, and local governments to move these new technologies from the lab into real-world use. For example, researchers might develop new machines that can better separate mixed plastics, create plastics designed to be easier to recycle, or find ways to turn old plastic into new products.

The bill also focuses on understanding and preventing microplastics and nanoplastics—tiny plastic particles that end up in our air, water, and food chain—and researching ocean plastic pollution. The government will create standards and definitions to help the recycling industry work more efficiently and will check in every three years to see if the program is actually working. While this bill doesn't directly change what you do with your recycling bin, it's designed to make recycling more effective and create new jobs in the recycling industry by building American expertise and technology rather than shipping our plastic waste overseas.

Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act

Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Act This bill establishes the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Research Program to improve the global competitiveness of the U.S. plastics recycling industry and to mitigate any harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment. The bill also provides for an interagency committee to coordinate agency activity in support of the program.