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Bottled water industry calls on Congress to support recycling education bill

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September 10, 2021

The International Bottled Water Association has called on the House of Representatives to vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by Sept. 27. The Senate passed the bill in August with bipartisan support, providing funding for the Recycle Act and Save Our Seas 2.0 Section 302 grants that will educate consumers and help municipalities maintain or expand their existing recycling programs.

The education investment will help address the issue of consumer confusion about what can and can't be recycled, according to a press release.

"By working together — government, consumers, and industry, we can reduce our energy use through the reuse of available resources and move closer to a circular economy," Cory Martin, IBWA vice president of government relations, said in the release.

Funding for Section 302 grants within the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act will allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assist waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.

The legislation includes $75 million ($15 million a year over the next five years) for Recycle Act grants to educate consumers. And a further $275 million for Save Our Seas 2.0 Section 302 grants (over five years) for municipalities to expand their recycling systems.