NWRA endorses Senate’s passing of infrastructure bill

The U.S. Senate passed H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, by a vote of 69-30 on Aug. 10. Included in the legislation were several provisions important to the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA), including funding for roads and bridges. Another feature of the bill includes the Recycling Enhancements to Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education (RECYCLE) Act of 2021 and the DRIVE-Safe Act.

“We applaud the Senate for passing this important infrastructure legislation,” says Darrell Smith, president and CEO of the NWRA. “It included several provisions important to us that we believe will make our industry stronger and our drivers safer. We urge the House to quickly bring this to a vote when they return to Washington, D.C., in September.”

According to a news release from the NWRA, the waste and recycling industry and the U.S. Postal Service are the only two entities that travel every road in America at least once every week. Additional funding in the bill for roads, bridges and highways will improve road conditions. This means fewer repairs are needed for industry vehicles and less traffic congestion, saving both time and fuel.

NWRA also says it has supported the RECYCLE Act since it was first introduced during the previous Congress in late 2019, working with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman to craft the legislation. The RECYCLE Act aims to increase both the quality and quantity of recycled materials. The bill establishes a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up America’s recycling stream. It also calls for the development of a Model Recycling Program Toolkit with input from the private sector.

Additionally, provisions of the bill laid out best practices for battery recycling and a labeling guideline.

The DRIVE-Safe Act addresses the driver shortage facing many industries, including waste and recycling. In the 116th Congress, the legislation received support from more than one-third of House and Senate members.

Other important waste and recycling provisions in the infrastructure bill include:

• replacing the word “accidents” with “crashes” in the U.S. Code;
• studying rural roads and strategies to improve safety for all users;
• supporting automated enforcement in roadway work zones; and,
• improving crash data collection overall, including support for near real-time crash reporting and incorporating the National Emergency Medical Services Information System more fully into crash reporting.