House Committee OKs Increase In Per Ton Recycling Fee To Support Local Recycling Programs, Waste Disposal Planning

On March 19, the House Local Government Committee reported out House Bill 620 (Isaacson-D- Philadelphia) that would increase the state recycling fee from $2 to $5 per ton to support local recycling, fund local hard-to-recycle collection events and local waste disposal planning programs 

The vote was 14 to 12, Republicans opposing.

When she announced the legislation, Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson said, “Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s largest waste importers, accepting both municipal waste and residual waste from other states across the country. 

“Waste management in our state is driven by market forces, and a blend of history, geography, law, economics, and commerce has created Pennsylvania’s “trashy” reputation.

“The Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act of 1988 established statewide recycling requirements in Pennsylvania. 

“Under this act, landfill and incinerator operators are required to pay a $2 per-ton recycling fee on waste received at their landfills. 

“Revenue from the fee is allocated to municipalities for the planning, processing, resource recovery, and recycling of solid waste.

“According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, more than 11.6 million residents of the Commonwealth currently have access to recycling programs and services. 

“Of these residents, nearly 79 percent have access to recycling through roughly 1,050 curbside pickup programs located statewide. There are an additional 870 drop-off programs offered for residents living in rural areas and communities.

“Unfortunately, because the recycling fee has not been increased since the enactment of this law over 35 years ago, many communities now struggle to keep up with the rising costs associated with recycling programs. 

“As a result, more and more recyclable items are being sent to incinerators and landfills.

“To help address this issue, I introduced House Bill 620 to increase the recycling fee that landfill operators pay from $2 per ton to $5 per ton on waste received at their landfills. 

“Due to the fact that the fee has not been increased in over three decades, this proposed fee equates to about a $1 increase per decade.

Click Here for a video of Rep. Isaacson's remarks before the Committee.

Rep. Robert Freeman (D-Lehigh), Majority Chair of the Committee, noted he was the last remaining legislator to have voted for the 1988 recycling law.

The bill was then Tabled by the full House which is the standard practice.

Updating The 1988 Recycling Law

In 2021, the Department of Environmental Protection outlined a series of changes it would like to see in the recycling program  and the electronics waste recycling law to make them more effective and to support the recycling industry that contributes over $22.6 billion to the state’s economy and generates over 66,000 jobs, according to the PA Recycling Markets Center.  Read more here.

In 2022, the PA Resources Council, PennEnvironment, local officials and other partners issued a call for updates to the recycling law that resulted in a series of recommendations for updating Act 101.  Read more here.

They pointed out that waste generation actually grew by 45% between 1990 and 2018.

To learn more about the recycling program, visit DEP’s Recycling In Pennsylvania webpage.

Rep. Robert Freeman (D-Lehigh) serves as Majority Chair of the House Local Government Committee and can be contacted at 717-783-2152 or send email to: rfreeman@pahouse.net.  Rep. Brett R. Miller (R-Lancaster), serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted at 717-705-7161 or Click Here to contact online. 

Related Articles This Week:

-- PA Resources Council Launches 2025 Household Chemical Collection Campaign April 12 In Butler County  [PaEN]

-- Volunteers Needed! Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy April 11-12 Stream Clean-Up At 200 Sites In Montgomery County  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill Commissioners Thank Schuylkill Haven Teacher, Hydro-Extrusions Are Leaders In Litter Pickup

-- Beaver Times: Free Electronics Waste Recycling Event Coming To Riverside School District April 1

-- The Daily Herald: ClearWater Conservancy Seeks Volunteers For April 12 Watershed Cleanup

-- TribLive: South Hills Nonprofit Seeks To Recycle, Reuse Old Yard Signs

-- Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: Penn State Scientists Found Microplastics In Freshwater Environments Across Pennsylvania

-- Scranton Times: Landfill Gas Plant At Keystone Landfill Seeks Expansion In Lackawanna County

-- Erie Times: Erie-Based IRG/newBin Suspends Collection Of Plastics For Recycling; Federal Funding Uncertain

[Posted: March 21, 2025]  PA Environment Digest