30
30-Day Member and Stakeholder Review Period
NRC members, State Recycling Organization affiliates, industry
professionals, community leaders, and other stakeholders are invited
to review the drafts and submit comments.
Help Us Build NRC 2.0
As part of our collective effort to build NRC 2.0, the National
Recycling Coalition’s Policy Committee is modernizing and testing our
foundational policy guidelines. We are pleased to present two newly
updated draft policies—the Waste Hierarchy Policy and the Zero Waste
Definition Policy—for public review and comment.
Draft Policy 01
Waste Hierarchy Policy
This draft modernizes NRC’s historical waste hierarchy guidelines to
reflect current advancements in sustainable materials management and
the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency frameworks.
The policy emphasizes practices that conserve resources, retain
material value, and prevent waste before considering downstream
management options. It also incorporates a clear
“do no harm” standard to help ensure that management
practices protect public health, workers, communities, and the
environment.
Source Reduction
Reuse
Recycling
Composting
Do No Harm
Draft Policy 02
Zero Waste Definition Policy
This draft updates NRC’s official zero waste position, originally
adopted in 2015, to align with the globally recognized 2018 Zero Waste
International Alliance peer-reviewed definition.
Adopting this updated definition will help ensure the Coalition remains
consistent with international zero waste principles while providing a
credible and practical foundation for future NRC programs, policies,
partnerships, and public communications.
Global Alignment
Peer-Reviewed
Resource Conservation
Responsible Production
Your Expertise Matters
NRC highly values the expertise of our State Recycling Organization
affiliates, members, partners, and the broader recycling and circularity
community.
We encourage you to download the draft policies, review the proposed
language, and submit comments, suggested edits, supporting information,
or other feedback. Your participation will help NRC develop strong,
relevant, and widely supported national policy guidance.
Review the Drafts and Submit Your Comments
Download the combined draft policy document below. Comments may be
submitted directly to NRC by email during the 30-day stakeholder review
period.
Comments may also be emailed directly to
[email protected]
.
