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There has been plenty of debate regarding the inability of anything to get done in Washington this year. Increased partisanship has sidelined many important issues that deserve a fair and honest debate. However, Senate Resolution 251 unanimously passed in the Senate, and recognized the important the scrap metal recycling industry has on both the environment and the economy.
The Senate Resolution 251 demonstrates that there is bipartisan support for the industry, which is crucial for further growth. Global competition requires a framework that allows companies in the United States to compete in the international economy.
As we have discussed in this series, the scrap metal recycling industry is one of the bright spots in the economy. The scrap recycling industry supports more than 450,000 American jobs and generates $10.3 billion in revenue for federal, state, and local governments. Furthermore, along with creating jobs here in the United States, the scrap metal recycling industry has been a great export for the United States.
A statement that was issued by Senator Carper and Senator Snowe highlights growth that the municipal recycling sector has increased over the past few decades.
- “Increasing the amount we recycle is a simple, yet effective way to help our economy and our environment by better managing our limited resources,” said Sen. Carper. “Since the first Earth Day in 1970, our country has greatly improved our recycling habits. From 1970 to 2000, we increased our collective municipal recycling rate from just 6 percent to over 28 percent. Yet in the past decade, our country’s improvement in our recycling behavior has slowed. Anything I do, I know I can do better, and I know that our nation can continue to do better when it comes to recycling. I thank Sen. Snowe and our other Senate colleagues for their support of recycling and for their recognition of its tremendous value to our economy and our environment.”
- “Recycling is one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods to saving energy, reducing landfill waste, and supplying our manufacturing and construction industries with low-cost materials,” said Sen. Snowe. ”Recycling is a major industry in the United States and we should continue to encourage the companies that are improving our environment and employing Americans. I commend Senator Carper for his efforts to promote recycling and look forward to the ongoing benefits recycling provides our environment and our economy.”
The next step for continued growth, both domestically and internationally, is for the same type of compliance standards, such as RIOS R2, to be adopted overseas. This would allow for both marketplaces to operate under the same regulations.
