The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has updated its 2020 Advocacy Agenda to outline the association’s legislative platform for the year and continuous efforts in support of recycling’s contributions to U.S. manufacturing and the economy.
Some topics of concern to the association this year include market development and economic opportunity, sustainability and the environment, international trade, transportation and infrastructure development, workforce safety initiatives, workforce and immigration issues and regulatory policy.
“As the voice of the recycling industry, ISRI’s role has never been more critical,” says ISRI Vice President of Advocacy Adina Renee Adler. “Serving as the first link in the manufacturing supply chain, keeping the recycling industry open is critical to the health of American manufacturing as products required for COVID-19 recovery are in short supply. From the essential business designation to financial support programs, workplace safety initiatives, and so much more, ISRI looks forward to continuing its advocacy efforts benefiting the recycling industry during these unprecedented times and beyond.”
Market development
In the areas of market development and economic opportunity, ISRI reports that it plans to work in partnership with governments and manufacturers to inspire more opportunities for recycled content use in consumer and industrial goods and infrastructure development. Additionally, ISRI plans to advocate that recyclers are manufacturers and therefore should be included in any manufacturers’ sales tax exemptions.
Sustainability and environment
The U.S. scrap recycling industry’s contributions to environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainability can be enhanced by government policies. According to ISRI, some policies that could help include incentives for technology, a recognition that scrap is not waste and recycling is not disposal. ISRI says it’s advocating for sustainability and environmental policies that understand, recognize and promote the industry’s benefits and growth.
International trade
On the international trade front, ISRI says it’s committed to free and fair trade and plans to ask governments not to implement export controls that will cause undue harm to manufacturing consumers in the form of supply constraints and price increases.
“In addition to advocating on behalf of recycling during the COVID-19 pandemic, over the last 12 months ISRI strengthened our working relationship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, obtained an exclusion from tariffs for certain critical recycling equipment parts, and inserted critical language into draft legislation that would bolster the industry by expanding market opportunities,” Adler says. “This is just a fraction of our accomplishments, and we look forward to continuing our work on behalf of the industry.”
Transportation and infrastructure
The recycling industry is highly dependent upon a modern and efficient transportation infrastructure to move scrap to market, whether it be by truck, rail, ship or barge. According to ISRI’s 2020 Advocacy Agenda, the association plans to support transportation efforts and infrastructure development proposals that may be introduced in 2020 that advance the recycling industry’s needs.
In particular, the association is pushing for the final promulgation of the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) 2016 proposed rule revoking the rail exemption for ferrous steel scrap. ISRI says this rule is needed to protect recyclers from the railroad’s current exercise of market power by giving them access to effective remedies for insufficient and unsatisfactory service through the STB. ISRI is also pushing for the STB to conduct a waybill analysis for paper and plastics so that the rail exemption of the movement by rail for these scrap commodities can also be revoked.
Workforce safety
This year, the association also aims to work closely with Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Transportation to provide members with resources and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The association also plans to monitor the impact of lithium-ion batteries in the recycling stream and will work with many stakeholders, including the International Code Council to monitor regulatory responses and develop response protocols to aid in prevention and mitigation of lithium-ion-battery-related events.
Workforce and immigration
Many of the America’s original recyclers were immigrants whose ingenuity and hard work created what is today’s recycling industry. According to ISRI, the industry continues to employ immigrants throughout the country, including legal residents protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and workers in the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.
The association plans to advocate for a policy that allows immigrant workers into the United States to supplement domestic workers and has joined with others in the business community to evaluate ways to allow DACA and TPS workers to remain employed in the recycling industry.
Regulatory policy
The recycling industry is also impacted by regulatory policy made in agencies and departments across the U.S. government. As a result, ISRI plans to monitor and comment on any and all regulations that have the potential to hinder recycling operations this year.
The association’s Advocacy Agenda is a living document that it plans to continually update to reflect its achievements and changes in the policy arena. Click here to read the full agenda.