US Urged to Regulate Plastics Collection, Recycling by Advisers

The US must standardize plastics waste collection, increase recycling, and explore plastics waste infrastructure, according to the nation’s top scientific advisers.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report released Tuesday recommends the Environmental Protection Agency assess the economic and social benefits of plastics waste in infrastructure.

Plastics waste management in the US is at an early development stage overall, according to the report, which cites a lack of coordination between public and private sectors.

The report urges the Department of Transportation to continue supporting a field-testing program about plastic additives to asphalt pavements. This program would assess environmental and health impacts, overall service life, and recyclability, along with asking the EPA to back the associated research and data collection for recycled plastics.

The EPA should expand upon tracking the recycled plastics supply and demand from different applications, according to the report. This data should include distinctions by quality and polymer type as well as account for geographic differences.

The report also asks the EPA to identify specific policies and regulations for supporting and incentivizing plastics recycling. Another recommendation is to encourage collaboration between plastics manufacturers, suppliers, recyclers, and industrial and infrastructure users.

The report suggests the EPA take the initiative in strengthening interagency coordination with DOT, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Army Corps of Engineers. These conversations can include feedback on how each organization can apply its research and advice to plastics waste.

“There is ample opportunity for higher levels of collection, reprocessing, and reuse of plastics,” David Dzombak, chair of the committee authoring the report, wrote in a statement. “A coordinated direction for policy and research is key for advancement of plastics recycling in the US.”