Recycling Act of 1988

Recycling Act of 1988 - Establishes the Center for Plastics Recycling Research of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, New Jersey, as the national center (Center) for plastics recycling. Requires that such Center: (1) establish and operate a clearinghouse of information relating to plastics; and (2) make grants to four other colleges and universities covering 50 percent of the funds required by each such college or university to assist the Center in conducting specified plastic recycling research activities, with the remaining funds being provided by the State in which such college or university is located. Authorizes appropriations for such activities for each of the first three fiscal years beginning after this Act's enactment.

Directs the Secretary of Education to conduct a three-year public outreach program providing information to secondary school students, State and local governments, and the general public regarding: (1) the harmful environmental effects of the improper disposal of plastic and non-plastic wastes; (2) the importance of proper municipal waste disposal; (3) the benefits of recycling; and (4) methods to encourage voluntary recycling activities.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Recycling to gather, catalog, and disseminate information on recycling-related issues and activities, including: (1) current and prospective recycling technologies; (2) the development and marketing of recycled waste products; and (3) intergovernmental arrangements for the public and private management of recycling activities.

Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and report to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment on the adverse effects of the improper disposal of paper, glass, aluminum, and other nonplastic articles on the environment and on waste disposal, and the various methods to reduce or eliminate such effects. Requires that the results of such study be integrated with the results of a plastic pollution reduction study required under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987.

Directs the EPA to make grants to State and local governments covering 50 percent of the costs of conducting demonstration projects related to recycling. Requires that at least one such grant each year be awarded to a State whose laws mandate the collection, for purposes of recycling, of two or more types of household or commercial wastes. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for three years.