Recycling Act of 1989

Recycling Act of 1989 - Establishes the Center for Plastics Recycling Research of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, New Jersey, as the national center for plastics recycling. Requires that such Center: (1) establish and operate a clearinghouse of information relating to plastics; (2) establish and operate at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst an affiliate of such clearinghouse; and (3) make grants to four other institutions of higher education covering 50 percent of the funds required by each institution to assist the Center in conducting specified plastic recycling research activities, with the remaining funds being provided by the State in which such institution is located. Authorizes appropriations for such activities for each of the first three fiscal years beginning after this Act's enactment.

Directs the Secretary of Education to conduct a three-year public outreach program providing information to secondary school students, State and local governments, and the general public regarding: (1) the harmful environmental effects of the improper disposal of plastic and non-plastic wastes; (2) the importance of proper municipal waste disposal; (3) the benefits of recycling; and (4) methods to encourage voluntary recycling activities.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Recycling to gather, catalog, and disseminate information on recycling-related issues and activities, including: (1) current and prospective recycling technologies; (2) the development and marketing of recycled waste products; and (3) intergovernmental arrangements for the public and private management of recycling activities.

Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to State and local governments covering 50 percent of the costs of conducting demonstration projects related to recycling. Requires that at least one such grant each year be awarded to a State whose laws mandate the collection, for purposes of recycling, of two or more types of household or commercial wastes. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for three years.

 
HR 3032 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 3032
To establish programs to promote recycling, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 1989
Mr. COURTER introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to
the Committees on Education and Labor and Science, Space, and Technology
and Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To establish programs to promote recycling, and for other purposes.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  This Act may be cited as the `Recycling Act of 1989'.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
  For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
  (1) The term `Administrator' means the Administrator of the Environmental
  Protection Administration.
  (2) The term `Center' means the national center for plastics recycling
  established under section 3(a).
  (3) The term `recycling' means the beneficial reuse or remanufacture of,
  or the recovery of energy value from, commercial and non-commercial products
  and materials.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PLASTICS RECYCLING.
  (a) ESTABLISHMENT- (1) The Center for Plastics Recycling Research of
  Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, New Jersey,
  is hereby established as the national center for plastics recycling.
  (2) The Center shall not be considered an agency of the Federal Government
  or an instrumentality of the United States for purposes of the laws of
  the United States.
  (b) CONTRACT WITH ADMINISTRATOR; FUNCTIONS- (1) The Administrator shall
  contract with the Center to carry out the functions described in paragraph
  (2).
  (2) Under the contract entered into with the Administrator under paragraph
  (1), the Center shall--
  (A) establish and operate a clearinghouse of information relating to
  plastics, and disseminate such information through newsletters, journals,
  and other appropriate communications;
  (B) establish and operate at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst,
  Massachusetts, an affiliate of the clearinghouse described in subparagraph
  (A) as part of a solid waste management data base;
  (C) conduct the research activities described in subsection (c); and
  (D) select 4 other institutions of higher education to assist it in
  conducting the research activities described in subsection (c), and make
  a grant to each such institutions of higher education in the amount of 50
  percent of the funds required by such institution to conduct its assigned
  activities, with the remaining funds being provided by the State in which
  the institution involved in located.
  (3) The institutions of higher education described in paragraph (2)(D)
  shall be selected to assist the Center as follows:
  (A) 1 shall be the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, which shall
  conduct its assigned activities together with the consortium institutions
  of the Center for Hazardous and Solid Waste Management.
  (B) 1 shall be located in the south-central portion of the United States.
  (C) 1 shall be located in the western portion of the United States.
  (D) 1 shall be located in the north-central portion of the United States.
  (c) TOPICS OF RESEARCH- The research activities conducted by the Center
  and by the institutions of higher education selected to assist the Center
  under subsection (b)(2)(D) shall include, but shall not be limited to--
  (1) a study to determine the plastic products and materials not currently
  recycled in significant amounts which are found in the largest amounts by
  volume and by weight in municipal solid waste streams;
  (2) a study of which post-consumer plastic products and materials are best
  suited for recycling, and of ways to encourage the plastics industry to
  include recyclability as a basic design goal for the long-term resolution
  of the issue of plastic recycling;
  (3) research into the development of plastics recycling methods and systems,
  including collection, sorting, reclamation, and end-use manufacturing,
  which will improve energy conservation through the preservation of the
  chemical energy content of recycled plastic waste products and materials; and
  (4) an analysis of which plastic waste products and materials present
  potential environmental risks through current disposal pathways and of the
  role of plastics recycling in reducing such risks, including an analysis
  of issues relating to biodegradable materials and the impact of plastics
  on marine life.
  (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated
  to carry out the purposes of this section for each of the first 3 fiscal
  years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act the sum of
  $6,000,000, of which--
  (A) $500,000 is authorized to be appropriated for grants to each of the
  institutions of higher education selected to assist the Center under
  subsection (b)(2)(D);
  (B) $1,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for the clearinghouse
  affiliate at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst described in
  subsection (b)(2)(B);
  (C) $1,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for research activities
  of the Center;
  (D) $1,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for recycling process
  development activities of the Center; and
  (E) $1,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for information clearinghouse
  activities of the Center.
  (2) Not more than 10 percent of the amounts authorized to be appropriated
  under paragraph (1) may be used by the Center and the institutions
  of higher education receiving grants from the Center under subsection
  (b)(2)(D) for administrative purposes.
SEC. 4. PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM ON RECYCLING.
  (a) OUTREACH PROGRAM- The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the
  Administrator and the Secretary of Commerce, shall conduct a 3-year public
  outreach program to provide information to secondary school students,
  State and local governments, and the general public regarding--
  (1) the harmful effect on the environment of the improper disposal of
  plastic and non-plastic wastes;
  (2) the importance of the proper disposal of municipal wastes;
  (3) the benefits of recycling; and
  (4) methods to encourage voluntary recycling activities.
  (b) FORMAT- In conducting the outreach program described in subsection
  (a), the Secretary of Education may--
  (1) organize and conduct workshops with interested groups;
  (2) develop educational materials and provide them to secondary school
  students;
  (3) record public service announcements for radio and television broadcast
  and develop print advertisements for newspapers, magazines, and other
  publications;
  (4) distribute leaflets, posters, and other materials;
  (5) encourage employers and labor organizations to include appropriate
  educational materials in their in-house publications; and
  (6) provide technical assistance and other information to schools,
  governments, and community groups wishing to conduct educational programs
  on waste disposal and recycling.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON RECYCLING.
  (a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of
  the National Bureau of Standards and in consultation with the Administrator,
  shall establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Recycling.
  (b) FUNCTION- The National Clearinghouse on Recycling shall gather, catalog,
  and disseminate information on recycling-related issues and activities,
  including information on--
  (1) current and prospective recycling technologies;
  (2) the development and marketing of products made from recycled wastes; and
  (3) intergovernmental arrangements for the public and private management
  of recycling activities.
SEC. 6. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS.
  (a) IN GENERAL- The Administrator shall make grants to eligible State and
  local governments to cover the Federal share of the costs of conducting
  demonstration programs related to recycling.
  (b) CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY- The Administrator shall develop and publish
  such application requirements and other criteria for determining the
  eligibility of a State or local government to receive a grant under this
  section as he considers appropriate, except that he shall award not less
  than 1 grant each year to a State whose laws mandate the collection, for
  purposes of recycling, of 2 or more types of household or commercial wastes.
  (c) PROGRAMS INVOLVED- The demonstration programs referred to in subsection
  (a) may include, but need not be limited to, programs which--
  (1) promote the collection and separation of recyclable wastes at the
  local level;
  (2) identify potential buyers of recyclable materials and recycled products;
  (3) promote the use of recyclable materials in the manufacture and
  distribution of products in an environmentally sound manner; and
  (4) develop facilities to recover the energy value of waste products.
  (d) FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal share of the costs of conducting demonstration
  programs related to recycling is 50 percent, and the non-Federal share of
  such costs may be provided in cash or in kind by State or local governments
  or private sources.
  (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated
  to carry out the purposes of this section the sum of $15,000,000 for each
  of the first 3 fiscal years beginning after the date of the enactment of
  this Act.