Land-Based Marine Debris Reduction Act

Land-Based Marine Debris Reduction Act

This bill declares national goals of no increase in the generation of solid waste sent to landfills, no increase in the flow of human-created marine debris into the ocean, and recycling of at least 50% of the municipal solid waste stream by the end of 2020 and 65% by the end of 2030.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must report on: (1) municipal solid waste generation, waste management methods, and progress in meeting the goals; (2) leakage paths of marine debris into the ocean; and (3) the costs and difficulties in closing landfills.

The EPA must develop a list of categories of commonly used products and packaging that are discarded into the municipal solid waste stream and determine with respect to the products or packaging in each category: (1) the percentage of recovered materials used in their manufacture; (2) the source reduction and recovery efficiency; (3) the percentage that is recycled upon discard and the percentage that is littered; and (4) the life cycle environmental effects associated with them, compared to alternatives.

The EPA must identify categories to be targeted for regulatory action. Regulations may require manufacturers to use recovered materials in the product or packaging.

The EPA and the Department of Commerce must develop a voluntary system of packaging standards with respect to materials contained within the packaging and the recyclability of the packaging upon discard. The standard has to provide that packaging that meets the standards be eligible to use a label indicating compliance for promotional and educational purposes.