July 28, 2015
The Honorable Keith Ellison
Member of Congress
2263 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) is pleased to endorse the “Zero Waste Development and Expansion Act.”
The Mission of the National Recycling Coalition is to partner with and facilitate activities between and among non-profit organizations (NGO’s), businesses, trade associations, individuals and government to maintain a prosperous and productive American recycling system that is committed to the conservation of natural resources.
In conjunction with source reduction, reuse, and composting, the recycling of valuable materials is essential to a sustainable environmental, energy, and economic future. The “Zero Waste Development and Expansion Act” will help communicate the following:
- Recycling is a value-added activity to our communities, states, and country that creates “green,” well-paying jobs, boosting a domestic economy committed to sustainability.
- Materials recovery (primary vs tertiary recycling) is the preferred management option for all residential, commercial, and industrial discards.
- Recycling is resource management, not waste management.
- Sustainable Materials Management is a critical strategic shift away from the past strategy of waste management toward a holistic resource management system that strives to use less materials overall, reduce toxins, recover more used materials, create new jobs, and foster economic development.
- Recycling is not disposal.
- Thermal combustion is not recycling.
- Recycling programs must be designed to minimize contamination in consideration of the needs of upstream users.
- Recyclables are substitutes for virgin materials.
We believe that recycling is a shared responsibility which requires citizen engagement. The grants program established in your legislation will provide critical investment in infrastructure and technologies. This will help achieve the goal of a more sustainable America for our future. We look forward to continuing to work with you to achieve that future
Sincerely,
Mark Lichtenstein
President and CEO
