Yesterday morning, former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin appeared before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for his confirmation hearing as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The conversation was wide-ranging in scope, fitting the important mission of the EPA.
Oregon’s Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley raised the topic of chemical recycling – also known as advanced recycling – of plastic but mischaracterized some important aspects. Advanced recycling is a developing set of technologies that offer a lot of promise for the future of U.S. manufacturing and environmental stewardship. Here’s what you need to know.
Advanced recycling marks progress for the environment and U.S. manufacturing, especially as it scales up. Today only about 10% of plastics are recycled. Companies are investing billions in technologies to increase that amount and to be able to process hard-to-recycle plastics that can’t be recycled through traditional means. We look forward to sharing some real examples of initial progress with the Senator and other members of the Committee.
Advanced recycling is a set of combustion-free processes. These technologies break down plastics to their core building blocks, so they can be remade into virgin-quality plastics, safe for food, medical, and pharmaceutical packaging. At no point during the advanced recycling process are plastics burned or incinerated. If plastics were burned, there would be no product left to sell.
A 2021 report from an independent sustainability consulting firm that studied air emissions of pyrolysis-based advanced recycling facilities found emissions equal to or lower than those from facilities found in many communities, such as hospitals and colleges.
Advanced recycling can offer a 97% reduction in fossil depletion compared to waste to energy and a 97% savings of virgin resources compared to landfilling. An analysis conducted by the City College of New York’s Earth Engineering Center in 2022 also found that advanced recycling technologies produce plastic and other products with far less global warming potential than products made from virgin resources – a longstanding priority of Senator Merkley.
Former Representative Zeldin noted in his opening statement that private sector collaboration should be encouraged to promote “common sense, smart regulation.” America’s plastic makers are working to innovate to reduce waste and promote circularity, a term that refers to reusing materials again and again, through practices like advanced recycling.
Mr. Zeldin has already made his commitment to working with American innovators to find creative solutions to some of our most pressing environmental concerns. Lawmakers are right to ask questions throughout this confirmation process… and they should be properly informed to prevent misleading claims from spreading.
We encourage policymakers to explore the science behind these innovative recycling technologies. By fostering collaboration and embracing solutions like advanced recycling, we can usher in a new era of American innovation, where environmental and economic progress go hand in hand.
Ross Eisenberg
President
America’s Plastic Makers TM
