New Tennessee bill would shift recycling costs from taxpayers to waste-producing companies

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — It’s something most of us do on a regular basis: taking out the trash.

But some state lawmakers say that trash is causing Tennessee’s landfills to overflow.

Only 5 percent of the trash in Tennessee is recycled, according to MetroSTOR.

That’s why a bill has been introduced that would shift the cost of recycling from taxpayers to the companies that produce waste materials.

Senator Heidi Campbell, a sponsor of this bill, says…

“We have a serious landfill crisis in Tennessee. Tennesseans don’t want more landfills, and we need immediate action to address this challenge.”

Aluminum, glass, and plastic are all common materials used by Chattanooga manufacturers.

State officials say the Chattanooga-Hamilton County area produces more than 200,000 tons of waste every year.

“Our landfills are at capacity, and we need this yesterday,” Campbell says.

The bill, called the “Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act,” establishes a ‘Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO)’ that manages and funds recycling programs.

The goal of the bill is to expand recycling, lowering the demand for landfills.

“The Act creates a funding mechanism that will generate hundreds of millions in infrastructure investment, create 1,000s of new jobs, reduce our reliance on foreign materials, and help solve our landfill crisis at no cost to taxpayers,” Campbell says.

But Senator Campbell says she is meeting some resistance.

Bottle manufacturing companies argue they already pay an almost 2 percent tax in the state on bottled drinks sales.

Some senators also voiced concerns about the bill.

“We’ve got an issue with solid waste. We have it in West Tennessee with other waste, so we got to work on it. But, I have issues with the bill as it was written,” Sen. Paul Rose say.

Despite this, Senator Campbell says her proposal will help more than just Tennesseans.

“It’s a pro business bill, just like true circular economy is always good for everybody involved in that cycle.”

Read more about the Tennessee Waste To Jobs Act here.