Are you up to date on the current recycling legislation?
NATIONAL Recycling Legislation
Aside from regulating universal and hazardous wastes, there is currently no national legislation that mandates recycling. However, proposed legislation has made a comeback this year that could change the way the US handles recycling through product bans and extended producer responsibility initiatives. We are closely following proposals and will keep you updated with any important changes.
The last recorded recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in the US was 32.1% in 2018, and in 2020, the EPA announced a national recycling goal of 50% by 2030… that’s an ambitious goal to achieve in 10 years!
STATE (South Dakota) Recycling Legislation
State regulation typically falls into two major categories: landfill bans or recycling goals. Landfill bans make it illegal to dispose of specific items in a landfill, while recycling goals encourage recycling of specific items through incentives like bottle bills. South Dakota currently does not have any state-wide recycling legislation. The last recorded recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in South Dakota was 18.5% in 2011.
LOCAL (Sioux Falls) Recycling Legislation
Sioux Falls is the only city in South Dakota that requires recycling. Because the city owns the regional landfill, this requirement binds all surrounding municipalities in the 5-county area who use the Sioux Falls Regional Landfill as well. Effective May 4, 2004, recycling is required for Paper, Cardboard, Plastics #1 and #2, Newspaper, Electronics, Magazines, Bulk rate mail, and Aluminum, tin, and steel cans. The city ordinance states that recyclables must be collected at least twice each month by a licensed garbage hauler and any solid waste containing visible required recyclable materials shall not be collected for disposal:
“Garbage haulers must leave a note explaining why solid waste was not collected. Residents and businesses must remove those required recyclable materials before the garbage hauler can collect solid waste that has been rejected for this reason.”
Recycling facilities, collectors, and businesses are all required to report the weight of recyclable materials to the city of Sioux Falls. For full ordinance details, see Chapter 57. The last recorded recycling rate for municipal solid waste in Sioux Falls was 22.1% in 2020. It’s important to note, the Sioux Falls rate does not included composting, whearas the National and State rates do.
Have a Recycling Question? Contact Us!