Document ID: EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0443-0002
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2020-09-10T04:00Z

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                           NATIONAL RECYLCING GOALS 
                                       

Overview
EPA recognizes that collective and collaborative commitments are best achieved when there are common goals. At the 2019 America Recycles Summit, Administrator Wheeler announced that EPA would work to establish national recycling goal(s) in 2020 to inspire action and drive participation, innovation and progress across the entire value chain, including consumers. Since then, EPA has been working with the America Recycles Measurement Workgroup to identify metrics that could quantify the performance of different components of the recycling system. The national goals and associated indicators developed from these metrics will provide the benchmarks needed to evaluate the success of the collective efforts to significantly improve the nation's recycling system. 
As a parallel effort, EPA has been developing a draft National Recycling Strategy that identifies objectives and actions needed to create a stronger, more resilient U.S. recycling system. The metrics identified in this document are based on the broad objectives of the draft National Recycling Strategy and are divided into four categories: assessing recycling performance, reducing contamination, increasing processing efficiency and strengthening recycled material markets. The draft national recycling goals aim to create standardized definitions for the recycling industry to keep pace with today's diverse and changing waste system. The draft strategy will identify actions needed to address these challenges that build on the collaborative efforts by stakeholders from across the recycling system that began under the National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System. 
The first category represents the overall objective of strengthening the U.S. recycling system, while the other three categories are key objectives that will help strengthen specific components across the system. The metrics associated with these categories are not listed in any order of preference. 
The purpose of this comment period is to identify a key performance metric for each of the four measures. EPA plans to announce the selected metrics as national goals at the America Recycles Summit on November 17, 2020. In 2021, EPA will develop the appropriate methodologies and set numerical targets and baselines for the chosen goals. 
Comments
EPA is seeking comments on this list of potential national recycling goals. In reviewing the list of key metrics, questions to consider include:
 Are the names and descriptions of the metrics clear and understandable? If not, please provide recommended edits.
 Are there metrics not included in the list that should be? If so, please provide names and descriptions of additional metrics.
 Which metrics are key to driving innovation in the U.S. recycling system?
 Which metrics are key to stimulating investment in the U.S. recycling system? 
 Which metrics are measurable with data that are currently available or may be available in the future?
 Which metric would serve as the best national goal for each of the four objectives?
 
Please submit the comments to the following docket: EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0443 at ORCRMeasurement@epa.gov.
Comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET on October 2, 2020.
List of Potential Metrics
 System-Wide Recycling Metrics to Assess Recycling Performance
A stronger, more resilient U.S. recycling system is a critical component in reducing the environmental impacts of materials across their lifecycle. Improvement of the U.S. recycling rate, access rate, participation rate, job creation, capture rate and tonnage of recyclables landfilled are needed for a more robust recycling system. Investment and innovation are necessary to strengthen the U.S. recycling system and support industry-wide job creation. Below are metrics that are under consideration to assess the system-wide performance of recycling. 
 Recycling Rate: The percentage of the total amount of discarded or used materials generated that are utilized as feedstock for the manufacture of new products.
 
 Recycling Access Rate: The percentage of households that have access to recycling on par with trash collection services.  
 
 Participation Rate:  The percentage of eligible users regularly using a recycling service. 
 
 Recycling Jobs: The number of jobs supported directly and indirectly by the recycling industry, including upstream supply chain economic activities.  
 
 Capture Rate: The percentage of recyclable material generated that are recycled. 

 Recyclables Landfilled: The tonnage of recyclable materials landfilled

 Reducing Contamination in the Recycling Stream  
Contamination negatively affects the ability of a material recovery facility (MRF) or secondary processing facility to produce high-quality, clean recycled materials that can serve as feedstock for new materials and products. Contamination occurs at multiple points including curbside, in-bound and out-bound and in residuals. Below are metrics expressed as a percentage that could be used to assess contamination.
 Curbside Contamination:  The percentage of materials that residents place in their recycling collection that are not accepted in their curbside program or acceptable materials that have high amounts of residue. 
 
 MRF In-Bound Contamination:  The percentage of materials arriving at the MRF that are not accepted by the facility or acceptable materials that have high amounts of residue
 
 Recycled Commodity Contamination: The percentage of contaminants in out-bound recycled commodity materials such as paper, plastic, glass and metals. 
 
 Residual Rate: The percentage of materials coming out of the MRF that are sent to combustion facilities or landfills.

 Increasing Materials Processing Efficiency 
Recycling infrastructure in the U.S. has not kept pace with the evolving recyclables stream. Investment and innovation are needed to increase the efficiency of materials processing infrastructure and create a more resilient recycling system. Examples of efficiencies that can be attained through additional investment include improving the capacity utilization rate, decreasing the cost of sorting recyclable materials and increasing the percentage of recyclable materials post-sort compared to the amount of recyclables entering the MRF. Below are metrics that could be used to assess materials process efficiency. 
 Capacity Utilization Rate: The total tonnage of materials processed by MRFs as compared to the total tonnage of materials that MRFs are capable of processing. 
 
 Processing Cost: The per-ton operating and capital costs for MRFs to receive, separate and prepare recyclable materials for end-user markets. 
 
 Processing Yield: The percentage of materials recovered by a MRF or secondary processing facility compared to the incoming materials. 
 
 Strengthening Markets for Recycled Materials 
There is a need to improve domestic markets for recyclable materials and recyclable products, as well as to better integrate recycled materials into products and packaging designs. Policies, programs, initiatives and incentives should focus on recycled content and materials with less mature markets. Strengthening markets for recycled materials will provide local jobs, add resiliency to market disruptions and create cost savings for local municipalities. Below are metrics that could be used to assess markets for recycled materials.
 Recycled Commodity Quality: The quality of post-processed recycled materials marketed for manufacture based on standard industry specifications.  
 
 Domestic Utilization: The percentage of recycled materials used domestically as compared to the amount exported. 
 
 Recycled Content: The percentage of recycled content within manufactured goods.
 
 Commodity Value: The average per-ton value of post-processed recycled materials.