The Bipartisan CIRCLE Act Expands Recycling Capacity by Incentivizing Investment in
American Recycling Infrastructure
Washington, D.C.— Congressmen Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Cultivating Investment in Recycling and Circular Local Economies (CIRCLE) Act. The bill would establish a targeted investment tax credit to strengthen our nation’s recycling infrastructure and bolster domestic manufacturing, while reducing waste in our environment and communities.
“Before coming to Congress, I was Mayor and a County Executive. Oftentimes, local governments bear the burden of operating waste management programs, having no choice but to pass those costs on to constituents in the form of taxes,” said Suozzi. “Making it easier and cheaper to recycle saves local governments and taxpayers in my district, and all over the country, up to $9.4 billion as less and less recyclable waste unnecessarily goes to costly landfills and incinerators. Bringing down the cost of living by reducing waste, all the while creating jobs in the recycling industry, is a no-brainer.”
“We can’t talk about building a 21st-century economy without investing in 21st-century recycling infrastructure. The bipartisan CIRCLE Act tackles this head-on—providing a new investment credit to help communities like ours in PA-1 modernize outdated systems, strengthen domestic supply chains, and compete globally. It’s a fiscally smart, environmentally responsible solution, and part of my broader effort to grow our local economies and protect our environment, our workforce, and the future we owe our next generation,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.
“Investing in American recycling infrastructure means investing in the American economy. The CIRCLE Act offers an opportunity to galvanize investment from the private sector to help unlock more than $30 billion in economic benefits that can be derived from investments in recycling—including 200,000 new jobs, $9.5 billion taxpayer dollars saved, and 169 million tons of recyclables returned to domestic markets. The Recycling Partnership is committed to building a better U.S. recycling system and is proud to support the CIRCLE Act,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership.
The CIRCLE Act establishes a 30% investment tax credit that would be phased out over the next 10 years. Local municipalities, investing in the reduction of waste from their own communities, would receive a direct rebate.
This bill is supported by a range of environmental and industry groups, including The Recycling Partnership, the World Wildlife Fund, the Aluminum Association, the Association of Plastic Recyclers, Keurig Dr. Pepper, and more.
“An investment in recycling is a dual investment in the environment and in American infrastructure,” said Rep Suozzi. “Increasing recycling capacity reduces waste in our communities, returns materials to the economy, and helps keep plastic, glass, aluminum, and other materials off local streets and beaches. Millions of pounds of recyclable material are landfilled or incinerated every year just because of system inefficiencies and insufficient infrastructure—expanding the recycling system is a common-sense fix for both the recycling industry and the environment.”
Click here for bill text. Learn more and see the complete list of endorsing organizations on the CIRCLE Act page here.
Additional endorsers:
“ADS strongly supports the CIRCLE Act because it will drive meaningful investment, innovation, and job creation in the recycling industry. By strengthening our nation’s circular economy, this legislation helps ensure a reliable domestic supply of recycled materials, which in turn bolsters American manufacturing and strengthens the U.S. economy. As a leading manufacturer that relies on recycled plastics, we recognize the vital importance of policies that advance sustainable infrastructure and long-term economic growth,” said Scott Barbour, President & CEO of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) ADS has 47 manufacturing locations in the United States, including operations in Clarion, Pennsylvania; Muncy, Pennsylvania; and Waverly, New York.
“The CIRCLE Act provides a template for getting recycling incentives right. Investments in recycling infrastructure improvements are sorely needed as recyclable aluminum is a key input material for domestic aluminum manufacturing. Providing a federal tax credit for infrastructure investments will help us reclaim more scrap and improve the US aluminum beverage can recycling rate from its current dismal 43%. The CIRCLE Act will help ensure that more scrap aluminum is remelted into American aluminum instead of ending up in landfills,” said Will Brown, Vice President of Government Relations and International Programs at Aluminum Association.
“APR thanks Representatives Fitzpatrick and Suozzi for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the CIRCLE Act. This legislation recognizes what those of us in the recycling industry already know: investing in recycling infrastructure is good for the environment and the economy. A federal tax credit will unlock private capital, strengthen domestic supply chains, and support American manufacturing. We urge Congress to act quickly and pass the CIRCLE Act without delay to ensure that valuable recyclable materials are kept in the U.S. economy and out of landfills,” said Steve Alexander, President and CEO of Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).
“Atlantic Packaging, the nation’s largest independent packaging company, strongly supports the CIRCLE Act. Building a circular materials economy requires modern, technologically advanced recycling infrastructure. While demand for recycled materials is growing rapidly, supply remains constrained—primarily due to outdated systems and the absence of consistent national standards. The CIRCLE Act will catalyze the investment needed to close this gap, strengthening domestic supply chains, driving economic growth, and serving the greater public good,” said Wes Carter, President of Atlantic Packaging.
“A tax credit for recycling infrastructure is a fiscally responsible way to strengthen American manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign materials, and support job creation in communities across the country. By incentivizing U.S. investments that provide more opportunities to recycle metal cans, we will catalyze the collection of critical materials, like aluminum and steel, while also reducing waste in landfills and reinforcing our commitment to American-made products and resilient, domestic supply chains,” said Scott Breen, President of Can Manufacturers Institute.
“Supportive policy is a crucial driver to unlocking capital flows into the circular economy and accelerating the transition to more profitable, resilient materials management. By supporting local recycling and circular economy infrastructure, the CIRCLE Act can help enable municipalities to replace costly landfill disposal fees with local recycling revenue, local jobs and valuable commodities for domestic manufacturing,” said Ron Gonen, Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners.
“Looking to the future, the only sustainable form of economy is a circular economy, where products are responsibly recycled. We support and endorse the bipartisan, future-forward, job-creating CIRCLE Act as a productive way to invest in our country. Investing in and incentivizing organizations who are engaging in or empowering circular practices makes perfect sense and we strongly encourage passage of the Act,” said John Shegerian, Chairman/CEO of ERI.
“Keurig Dr Pepper applauds the introduction of the bipartisan CIRCLE Act as a critical step toward strengthening America’s recycling systems. By incentivizing domestic infrastructure investment, this legislation will help accelerate innovation, advance the circular economy, and drive job creation here in the U.S,” said Monique Oxender, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer at Keurig Dr Pepper.
“The City of Blytheville, as well as many communities along the Mississippi River, are excited for the new investment in recycling infrastructure the Circle Act will bring. This bill complements what over 100 cities like mine are organizing to accomplish along the Mississippi. Here in Blytheville, we are struggling to restart recycling due to the increased cost of recycling in recent years. We need the Circle Act to create a cost incentive structure for cities like Blytheville, so that communities do not have to pay more to recycle than to landfill. As Co-Chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, this bill will help alleviate the cost burden of recycling that can be placed on communities and their citizens,” said Mayor Melisa Logan of Blytheville, Arkansas, and Co-Chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.
“The CIRCLE Act is a smart step to strengthen the circular economy. An investment in local recycling systems and improving the collection infrastructure, it ensures valuable materials like PET—the most recycled plastic in the U.S., and infinitely recyclable, are recovered and reused. The Circle Act is an investment in the United States, supporting jobs, manufacturing and communities while reducing waste and easing the burden on taxpayers,” said Ralph Vasami, Executive Director of PET Resin Association.
“The Plastics Pipe Institute supports the CIRCLE Act because it strengthens recycling standards, boosts demand for recycled materials, and encourages innovation across our industry. This bill helps ensure plastic piping remains a sustainable, reliable solution for modern infrastructure,” said David Fink, President of Plastic Pipe Institute.
“Manufacturers rely on recycled materials for a significant portion of their raw material needs, and the CIRCLE Act is a smart, targeted approach to strengthen and grow America’s recycling infrastructure to ensure the recycled materials industry can continue to support American manufacturing.” “By offering a 30 percent tax credit for investment in recycling infrastructure, equipment, and technology, the CIRCLE Act will help unlock private capital, drive innovation, increase material recovery, and help scale domestic processing capacity. We urge Congress to pass this critical legislation and send a clear signal: recycling is not just good policy—it’s essential to American prosperity,” said Robin Wiener, President of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA).
“SWANA promotes waste as a resource, and we applaud the introduction of the CIRLCE Act as an important step to achieving that goal. Greater investment in recycling infrastructure is vital to expand our supply chain resilience in the US. Many of our recycling facilities are decades old and in need of upgrades or replacements, while some parts of the country are still lacking basic recycling infrastructure. The CIRCLE Act will empower recycling growth, supporting the economy, the environment, and domestic manufacturing,” said Amy Lestition Burke, CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).
“Recycling in our country needs to be easier to access and more effective at keeping the waste we produce out of nature. The CIRCLE Act will encourage investments in much-needed infrastructure to unleash the full potential of recycling in the United States, and deliver domestically sourced materials that create local jobs, reduce pollution, and strengthen America’s manufacturing capacity. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation led by Representatives Fitzpatrick and Suozzi would help modernize our recycling infrastructure and keep discarded plastic, paper, metals, glass, and other materials in our economy and out of our environment,” said Alejandro Pérez, Senior Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at World Wildlife Fund.