Dive summary:
- North Carolina and Alabama have proposed laws that would require biodegradable or computable plastic to be labeled as non-recyclable.
- The laws would prevent any plastic container from being labeled compostable, biodegradable or degradable unless the container is also labeled "not recyclable, do not recycle."
- The laws aim to prevent contamination in plastic recycling streams, an industry which is quickly growing in the Southeast.
From the article:
"We came to the conclusion that we had this very important part of our economy that we needed to protect, that we needed to grow, and we didn't want anything to slow that growth down," said Scott Mouw, state recycling program director in North Carolina.
More than 6,000 people in the Southeast work in manufacturing businesses that depend on using recycled plastic feedstock to make consumer-ready goods. About 60 facilities in the region contribute $3 billion in value to the domestic economy, according to the Southeast Recycling Development Council Inc., a nonprofit coalition of 11 states including North Carolina and Alabama.
In North Carolina, the recycling industry employs more than 15,000 and includes numerous plastic bottle reclaimers and manufacturers that use recycled plastic, according to HB 315. ...
