Date: August 3, 2011
Source: News Room
A group of industry trade associations is widely supportive of U.S. Senate Resolution 251, which seeks to improve the collection, processing and consumption of recyclable materials throughout the country. The resolution was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Recycling Caucus. The purpose of the Caucus is to educate Senate members and staff on the need for and benefits of recycling to the U.S. economy and the environment and about energy savings generated through recycling, as well as to support public policies aimed at increasing recycling across the country. Groups supporting the measure include the Solid Waste Association of North America, the National Solid Wastes Management Association, the National Recycling Coalition, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and the American Forest & Paper Association, among others.
PRESS RELEASE
August 4, 2011
SWANA Supports Senate Recycling Resolution
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) announced its strong endorsement of U.S. Senate Resolution 251, "expressing support for the improvement of collection, processing and consumption of recyclable materials throughout the United States."
The resolution was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Recycling Caucus. The purpose of the Senate Recycling Caucus is to educate Senate members and staff on the need for and benefits of recycling to the U.S. economy and the environment and about energy savings generated through recycling, as well as to support public policies aimed at increasing recycling across the country.
"This resolution will support the efforts of solid waste management professionals across the country who manage recycling programs that reduce energy consumption, conserve valuable resources, protect the environment and limit climate change emissions." said SWANA Executive Director and CEO John H. Skinner, Ph.D.
Background
SWANA's endorsement is announced in conjunction with the Recycling Roundtable, an advocacy group that also includes The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the Steel Recycling Institute, the Aluminum Association, the Glass Packaging Institute, the American Forest & Paper Association, the National Solid Waste Management Association, and the Paper Recycling Coalition.
About SWANA:
For nearly 50 years, the Solid Waste Association of North America, SWANA, has been the leading professional association in the solid waste management field. SWANA's mission is "to advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound management of municipal solid waste." SWANA serves nearly 8,000 members and thousands more industry professionals with technical conferences, certifications, publications and a large offering of technical training courses.
For more information, contact:
Shannon Crawford
Manager of Government Affairs
(240) 494-2241
scrawford@swana.org.
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PRESS RELEASE
August 3, 2011
NSWMA Endorses Senate Resolution Supporting Recycling
Calls for Improvements in the Collection, Processing and Consumption of Recycling Materials
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, August 2, Senator Thomas R. Carper of Delaware and Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, co-chairs of the Senate Recycling Caucus, introduced S. 251, a resolution supporting improvement in the collection, processing and use of recyclable materials throughout the United States. The National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) joins groups such as the National Recycling Coalition, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, associations representing manufacturers of recycled content products such as the steel and aluminum industries and many state recycling organizations in endorsing this resolution.
In describing support of the resolution and its call for improved recycling, NSWMA's President and CEO Bruce J. Parker stated, "The National Solid Wastes Management Association, whose members collect and process municipal recyclables throughout the United States, is proud to endorse this resolution. Recycling is an essential part of our nation's solid waste management system. Recycling allows us to conserve vital natural resources and helps Americans save money by reducing energy costs. Recycling also means cleaner land, air and water."
Chaz Miller, NSWMA's government affairs director, added, "We strongly support the goals of this resolution. Senators Carper and Snowe recognize the importance of maintaining America's recycling infrastructure. As the resolution states, recycling thrives in a competitive marketplace with strong markets in both this country and abroad. The recycling industry overcame a serious challenge when commodity markets collapsed three years ago. Those markets have revived strongly. Our challenge now is to continue to expand the amount and types of materials recycled so that we can reap additional environmental benefits."
The resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
NSWMA – a sub-association of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA) – represents for-profit companies in North America that provide solid, hazardous and medical waste collection, recycling and disposal services, and companies that provide professional and consulting services to the waste services industry. NSWMA members conduct business in all 50 states. For more information, visit NSWMA.org.
For more information, contact:
Thom Metzger
202-364-3751
tmetzger@envasns.org.
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PRESS RELEASE
August 3, 2011
American Forest & Paper Association endorses senate resolution to promote recycling across the country
WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman today released the following statement regarding the association's endorsement of U.S. Senate Resolution 251, introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), which expresses "support for the improvement of collection, processing and consumption of recyclable materials throughout the United States."
"The forest products industry has been a leader in recycling, nearly doubling our paper recovery rate over the last 20 years to 63.5 percent in 2010. Coupled with the renewable nature of the raw material, recovering paper for recycling helps extend the life of paper and paper-based packaging products and is an important part of the industry's sustainable practices.
"With the introduction of this resolution, the Senate officially recognizes the vital importance of recycling as a business practice that benefits our country environmentally, socially and economically.
"We commend Senators Carper and Snowe for their leadership in promoting recycling, and we look forward to continuing our own improvement with the goal of increasing our industry's recovery rate to exceed 70 percent by 2020."
BACKGROUND
AF&PA's endorsement is announced in conjunction with the Recycling Roundtable, an advocacy group that also includes The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the Steel Recycling Institute, the Aluminum Association, the Glass Packaging Institute, the Solid Waste Association of North America, the National Solid Waste Management Association, and the Paper Recycling Coalition.
The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners. Our companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources that sustain the environment. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Industry companies produce about $175 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org.
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