Congressional Recycling Caucuses Form

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), based in Washington, D.C., has claimed success with the formation of the Senate Recycling Caucus.

Monday, June 5, co-chairs Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Thomas R. Carper (D-Delaware) circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter to fellow senators inviting them to join the newly formed Senate Recycling Caucus. According to a press release from ISRI, “The letter promotes concepts identical to the primary objectives of ISRI's Government Relations efforts: improving the quality and quantity of recyclable materials, developing new markets for recycled products, Design for Recycling and capitalizing on the energy savings achieved through the use of recycled materials.”

ISRI President Robin Wiener says, "Earlier this year, ISRI celebrated the successful creation of the House Recycling Caucus. With the distribution of this letter in the Senate, we can now celebrate success throughout Congress.” She adds, "We worked with the co-chairs to establish these caucuses as a means to provide a more formal structure to educate members of Congress about recycling at all levels, to promote both consumer and industrial recycling, and to help our representatives develop legislation that improves our environment, reduces energy use and expands the marketplace for U.S. recycled products, including scrap metal, paper, plastic, glass, textiles, rubber and electronics."

The House Recycling Caucus, which was formed earlier this year, is co-chaired by Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey.)

"We saw the need to educate members of Congress -- to let them know that scrap is not waste, but a valuable commodity and a $30-plus billion industry essential to the U.S. and the world economy," Wiener says. "We are thrilled with the response of Congress to this effort and are grateful for the leadership of Senators Snowe and Carper."

ISRI will hold a congressional fly-in in July, bringing members to Washington to meet with their senators and representatives to urge them to join their respective recycling caucuses. The fly-in coincides with ISRI's quarterly leadership meetings at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington.