Recent Congress and IRS actions have opened more opportunities to recover value from the waste stream. The House passed three bills that treat spent lithium-ion batteries and other discards as a domestic source of critical minerals. New IRS guidance lets biogas producers count on the 45Z clean fuel credit for RNG made from manure and food waste. But the material arriving at the residential curb keeps changing. The Recycling Partnership’s latest data shows plastics, driven by packaging design and e-commerce, now outweigh mixed paper in household generation. State timelines are shifting too: New Jersey pushed its food-contact recycled content requirement to 2030, and the reclaimers who invested early must now carry the cost. Local governments and businesses that plan with current waste composition data, realistic revenue assumptions and flexible contracts will operate more effective programs.
The big picture
This Week in Waste
House Passes Three Waste and Critical Minerals Bills
On September 15 the House passed three bipartisan bills by voice vote to promote domestic recovery of critical minerals from waste streams, including end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The BRACE Act directs EPA to recognize lithium-ion batteries as universal waste within 18 months of enactment. The CHARM Act directs EPA to build a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy covering discarded materials, and a third bill expands an EPA program for recovering critical materials from contaminated sites with $10 million in annual funding. All three now move to the Senate.
Key takeaway: Federal policy now treats discarded batteries and electronics as a mineral supply. Local programs and haulers that collect batteries should watch the universal waste rulemaking, which would change storage and permitting rules for the facilities receiving that material.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
National Law Review ·
Resource Recycling
The Household Recycling Stream Is Getting Lighter and Harder to Sort
The Recycling Partnership released the second installment of its 2026 State of Recycling Report on September 16, finding a residential material mix that is lighter, more varied and more operationally complex. With film and flexibles included, plastics now make up 31% of household generation, ahead of mixed paper at 28%. Glass and mixed paper fell 28% and 34%, pulling total volume down 3.7 million tons, or 8%, from 2020 levels, while e-commerce pushed cardboard generation up 32% per household.
Key takeaway: Tonnage-based contracts, MRF designs and diversion targets built on a 2020 stream are aging quickly. Communities should re-baseline with current composition data before renegotiating processing agreements or setting EPR-era goals.
From SWEEP: How Small Recyclables Have A Big Impact looks at how lightweight, small-format items move through the sorting system.
Sources: The Recycling Partnership ·
Resource Recycling ·
Recycling Product News
IRS Guidance Opens the 45Z Clean Fuel Credit to Biogas and RNG
On September 8 the IRS issued Notice 2026-53, providing the 2026 emissions rate table for the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit along with guidance on manure-derived fuels. The American Biogas Council said the guidance recognizes distinct carbon intensities by feedstock, with specific pathways for RNG from dairy and swine manure, food waste and other organics. Many biogas producers had held off claiming the credit until this guidance arrived, and the credit now runs through 2029.
Key takeaway: Federal tax certainty strengthens the financing case for anaerobic digestion. Local governments weighing food waste diversion can factor 45Z revenue into project pro formas and partner negotiations with more confidence.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
American Biogas Council ·
IRS
New Jersey Pushes Food-Contact Recycled Content Mandate to 2030
New Jersey DEP extended the food-contact packaging exemption under its recycled content law from January 18, 2027 through the end of 2029, citing limited availability of food-grade PCR. The Association of Plastic Recyclers called for a reversal, noting the change came without a public comment period. Rigid plastic containers still step up from 10% to 20% recycled content in 2027.
Key takeaway: Mandate timelines can move, and reclaimers who invested ahead of the deadline carry the risk. Buyers and recyclers should build long-term supply agreements that hold up even if a compliance date slips.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
Resource Recycling ·
Waste360
Featured from SWEEP
Latest on the blog
Lancaster County Waste Management: The Power of Integration, the newest SWEEP blog post, profiles the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority’s integrated system.
Get Involved
Join SWEEP
This week’s news shows an industry finding value in unexpected corners of the waste stream while the material itself keeps shifting under it. A measurable, third-party standard defining the future of sustainable materials management can be a hedge against unanticipated change. Join SWEEP and help set the standard for what the future of waste management looks like.
|
⬥ Download the Standard ⬥ Become a Member |