This statement can be attributed to Anthony Tusino, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs at The Recycling Partnership.
The Second Part of the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution closed without an agreement on the final text. After nearly two weeks of negotiations, the Committee extended into an additional day, but still could not deliver an agreement as countries faced a standstill.
“The result of INC 5.2 is disappointing. In 2022, the global community promised to work toward ending plastic pollution, and we are not delivering on that promise,” said Anthony Tusino, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs at The Recycling Partnership. “While countries can’t agree on a path forward, it becomes ever more important that we work toward policy solutions that keep materials in our economy and out of landfills and our environment.”
The Partnership has advocated for and is working to implement extended producer responsibility at the state level and is working with Congress to advance legislation that would improve the nation’s ability to recycle. Two immediate legislative opportunities already have bipartisan support that can drive this forward.
First, the passage of the STEWARD Act (S.351) would support rural and underserved communities’ access to recycling services. Second, support for the CIRCLE Act (H.R.4466) would establish a recycling infrastructure tax credit to incentivize new investment, stimulate the domestic economy, return recyclable materials to the manufacturing supply chain, and create new jobs across the country.
“In the absence of international leadership, Congress could act now on legislation that would accelerate our ability to recycle more materials,” Tusino continues. “The STEWARD Act and the CIRCLE Act are bipartisan bills that can make progress toward a circular economy, and we will remain engaged in the treaty process to build a text that delivers on the promise of UNEA Resolution 5/14.”