Recycling and Composting Accountability Act
HB4109, the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to gather, standardize, and report more detailed national information on recycling and composting infrastructure, access, performance, and markets. The bill defines key terms such as compost, compostable material, recyclable material, recycling, and materials recovery facility, and then uses those definitions to structure new federal reporting requirements. It would require EPA to work with states, local governments, and Indian Tribes to produce reports on composting barriers, infrastructure capacity, contamination rates, access to services, and the costs and benefits of recycling and composting programs.
The bill also requires EPA to inventory materials recovery facilities nationwide, including the types of materials each facility can process, and to report on end markets for recyclable materials and compost. In addition, it directs EPA to develop a metric and study on how recyclable materials are diverted from a circular market, including impacts on aluminum, plastics, paper, textiles, and glass. The measure authorizes $4 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 and includes provisions limiting the use of unfunded mandates and protecting confidential business information from public disclosure.
If enacted, the bill would amend Subtitle D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act to add a new section on composting and recycling infrastructure capabilities and would create recurring federal reporting obligations. It would expand EPA’s role in collecting data, coordinating with state and local governments and Tribes, and publishing inventories and estimates related to recycling and composting systems. It would also require the Comptroller General to issue periodic public reports on federal agency recycling and composting activities and procurement of products containing recyclable or compostable materials. The bill would not directly mandate state recycling programs, but it could influence state and local waste policy through federal data collection, technical assistance, and benchmarking.
The available context suggests generally favorable sentiment. The bill was introduced with bipartisan sponsorship from Representatives Neguse, Burchett, and Foster, and it was forwarded by subcommittee to the full committee by voice vote, indicating no recorded opposition at that stage. The absence of recorded votes or committee transcript objections also suggests the measure was viewed as a technical, information-gathering bill rather than a highly partisan one.
The main potential points of contention are the scope of federal data collection, the burden on states, local governments, and Indian Tribes to provide information, and the cost of expanding reporting and inventory requirements. The bill anticipates these concerns by stating that federal authorities may not impose unfunded mandates and by protecting privileged or confidential information from disclosure. Another possible area of debate is the bill’s treatment of compostable packaging and food service ware, since the report would evaluate whether those products can realistically be managed as end-of-life composting inputs and whether existing laws or infrastructure create barriers to that transition.