The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, announced Aug. 6 that they have reissued their "Joint Advisory on Designing Contracts for Processing of Municipal Recyclables," which is now updated to include a preface about how China’s waste import restrictions have affected the market for recyclable materials.
“In 2015, NWRA and SWANA first issued this document with the intent of providing professionals in our industry a tool to achieve best practices in contracting for recycling processing. As our industry responds to China’s efforts to curb imports of recyclables, NWRA and SWANA believe an updated document reflecting the current market conditions will be useful to our members,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says.
The reissued document reflects the need for North American recycling programs and providers to re-examine their current practices and investigate new processing systems, implement contamination reduction methods and revise program guidelines for acceptable materials.
“We think it is important that recyclers address overall program sustainability and not just blame China’s import restrictions for our current challenges,” SWANA Deputy Executive Director Sara Bixby says. “Anything that we can do in the United States and Canada to reduce contamination and improve our partnerships will also help develop and support recycling markets in North America. That makes all of our programs stronger.”
The updated report is available for public download to ensure information on best practices is available throughout the industry to guide solid waste and recycling professionals on protocols and standards regarding contracting for the processing of municipal recyclables.
SWANA and NWRA have partnered on a number of initiatives to respond to the current market disruption in the wake of China’s waste import restrictions, including advocacy for recycling funding in Congress’ infrastructure bill and meetings with key organizations and non-profits to identify industry opportunities.
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