Manufacturers and environmentalists have endorsed a bill to change the way some plastics recycling companies are regulated and grow the sector.
Plastics today are most often found in the landfill or in the environment. House Bill 45Companies that use recycled plastics to make raw materials for new products would be able to benefit.
Rep. Adam Bowling from Middlesboro, a Republican, was the bill sponsor. He said that it would redefine the law’s advanced recycling facilities, regulating them as manufacturers rather than waste disposal facilities.
Bowling stated that it could spur economic growth and reduce plastic waste. This is a win-win situation we don’t often see.
Bowling said similar legislation in TennesseeIt led to the growth of the industry in Kentucky and was estimated to have an economic impact of $78 million annually.
Both Kentuckys Association of Manufacturers (an environmental watchdog) and Kentucky Resources Council (an environmental watchdog) have endorsed the measure. It passed unanimously from the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and now can be voted in the full House.
Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council is an environmental attorney who stated that only about 9% are recycled. This measure would help to keep them from ending up in a landfill, or in the ocean.
He said that it opens up the possibility of further utilization of waste plastics, which are currently being landfilled or otherwise disposed off.
FitzGerald collaborated with the bill sponsor in order to add language to ensure that the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet would continue to have the authority to manage adverse effects.
Sometimes, plastics recycling companies deal with dangerous chemicals that could pose a health risk to the public if they aren’t careful.
Shamrock Technologies, which is a Henderson recycling facility, has polluted western Kentucky. forever chemicalsA class of compounds that has been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer. They take a long time to be broken down in nature.
Shamrock uses Teflon to recycle products and make micronized powders and inks. The company is currently Under an agreement with the cabinet for the environmentTo determine the extent and cause of the pollution.
