NRC supports a voluntary 50% national recycling goal by 2000 and a 20% source reduction goal in the amount of waste generated by 2000, using 1990 as a baseline year. NRC has collected information on the environmental and economic benefits of achieving source reduction and recycling goals and provides this information to policymakers, media representatives and the general public. NRC’s Source Reduction Forum has developed several informational guides on how to promote source reduction. NRC also has supported EPA’s efforts to develop nationally uniform methods for measuring recycling and source reduction.

NRC supports the implementation of the resource/solid waste management hierarchy and integrated MSW planning that includes source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. NRC supports national efforts to develop cost and benefit models for implementing the hierarchy taking into consideration the economic and environmental costs and benefits of different materials and MSW management options.

NRC has provided information on existing landfill bans at the state level and developed a national strategy for composting source-separated organic materials.

NRC supports mandatory minimum content standards and other incentives to achieve higher utilization rates for major materials in MSW, if voluntary goals are not met.

NRC continues to comment on and monitor the implementation of national procurement guidelines recycled content products. NRC is currently working with the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive to increase government procurement of recycled paper products consistent with President Clinton’s Executive Order on Waste Reduction and Recycling.

In addition, NRC staff serves on EPA’s Full Cost Accounting Work Group and recently cosponsored a satellite forum on full cost accounting with EPA.

NRC is gathering information on federal policies, which subsidize the extraction, use and disposal of virgin materials to determine their impact on the demand for recycled materials and products. NRC is working to build coalitions with other organizations attempting to eliminate these subsidies at the federal level.

NRC has endorsed proposed legislation to extend federal tax exempt financing currently available for incinerators and landfills to recycling facilities. NRC supports state and federal tax credits to increase private sector investment in recycling. NRC has cosponsored Investment Forums for recycling companies and a National Recycling Financing Symposium and Roundtable to develop a national strategy to increase capital investment in the recycling industry.

NRC has testified before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on federal guidelines for labeling recycled content and recyclable packaging and products and EPA guidelines for environmentally preferable products. NRC has made recommendations on changes to the Society of the Plastic Industry (SPI) resin identification code to eliminate confusing and misleading applications of the code.

NRC has provided input to the U.S. EPA on technical assistance needs of state and local governments for implementing recycling and waste reduction programs and has received grant funding from EPA to promote buy recycled programs, source reduction, market-based initiatives and education campaigns to increase recycling. EPA also has sponsored numerous workshops and sessions at NRC’s annual conference to address technical assistance needs, including workshops on full cost accounting and measuring recycling.