Tennessee has enacted a new law to strengthen its market for recycled materials. House Bill 2518, signed by Governor Bill Lee (R) on May 22, reinvigorates the Tennessee Office of Cooperative Marketing for Recyclables to serve as a central resource connecting recycled materials with end users. The office will maintain a database of regional buyers for and track the availability of recycled materials through a statewide marketplace.
The law also establishes an 18-member Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council made up of representatives from industry, local solid waste management, state agencies, and the Legislature. The council will study Tennessee’s recycling market and provide the General Assembly with recommendations on market development and best practices. The first report is due Dec. 31 and will be followed by annual reports thereafter.
H.B. 2518 addresses a significant need. Tennessee ranks 48th in the U.S. for recycling. With hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic entering state landfills each year and national plastic usage projected to more than the double by 2060, some parts of the state are facing urgent capacity pressures. And at the same time that landfills are nearing capacity, the state’s businesses are missing out on potentially substantial revenue from expanded recycling.