Editing Recycling (section)

== Legislation ==

=== Supply ===
For a recycling program to work, a large, stable [[supply and demand|supply]] of recyclable material is crucial. Three legislative options have been used to create such supplies: mandatory recycling collection, [[container deposit legislation]], and refuse bans. Mandatory collection laws set recycling targets for cities, usually in the form that a certain percentage of a material must be diverted from the city's waste stream by a target date. The city is responsible for working to meet this target.<ref name="gar" />

Container deposit legislation mandates refunds for the return of certain containers—typically glass, plastic and metal. When a product in such a container is purchased, a small surcharge is added that the consumer can reclaim when the container is returned to a collection point. These programs have succeeded in creating an average 80% recycling rate.<ref>{{cite web |title = A Beverage Container Deposit Law for Hawaii |url = http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/Container_Deposit_Summary_Oct2002.html |website = www.opala.org |access-date = 31 July 2015 |date = Oct 2002 |publisher = City & County of Honolulu, Department of Environmental Services |archive-date = 22 August 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210822003849/http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/Container_Deposit_Summary_Oct2002.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> Despite such good results, the shift in collection costs from local government to industry and consumers has created strong opposition in some areas<ref name="gar" />—for example, where manufacturers bear the responsibility for recycling their products. In the European Union, the [[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive|WEEE Directive]] requires producers of consumer electronics to reimburse the recyclers' costs.<ref>{{cite web |author = European Council |url = http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/final_rep_okopol.pdf |title = The Producer Responsibility Principle of the WEEE Directive |access-date = 7 July 2016 |archive-date = 5 March 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305083437/http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/final_rep_okopol.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref>

An alternative way to increase the supply of recyclates is to [[ban (law)|ban]] the disposal of certain materials as waste, often including used [[Petroleum|oil]], old batteries, [[tire]]s, and garden waste. This can create a viable economy for the proper disposal of the products. Care must be taken that enough recycling [[service (economics)|services]] exist to meet the supply, or such bans can create increased [[fly-tipping|illegal dumping]].<ref name="gar" />

=== Government-mandated demand ===
Four forms of legislation have also been used to increase and maintain the demand for recycled materials: minimum recycled content mandates, utilization rates, [[procurement]] policies, and recycled [[Mandatory labeling|product labeling]].<ref name="gar" />

Both minimum recycled content mandates and utilization rates increase demand by forcing manufacturers to include recycling in their operations. Content mandates specify that a certain percentage of a new product must consist of recycled material. Utilization rates are a more flexible option: Industries can meet their recycling targets at any point of their operations, or even contract out recycling in exchange for tradable credits. Opponents to these methods cite their large increase in reporting requirements, and claim that they rob the industry of flexibility.<ref name="gar" /><ref name="DeLong">{{cite web |url = http://jamesvdelong.com/articles/environmental/wasting-away.html |title = Regulatory Policy Center&nbsp;— Property Matters&nbsp;— James V. DeLong |access-date = 28 February 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080414205905/http://jamesvdelong.com/articles/environmental/wasting-away.html |archive-date = 14 April 2008 }}</ref>

[[Governments]] have used their own [[purchasing power]] to increase recycling demand through "procurement policies". These policies are either "set-asides", which reserve a certain amount of spending for recycled products; or "price preference" programs that provide larger [[government budget|budgets]] when recycled items are purchased. Additional regulations can target specific cases: in the United States, for example, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] mandates the purchase of oil, paper, tires and [[building insulation]] from recycled or re-refined sources whenever possible.<ref name="gar" />

The final government regulation toward increased demand is recycled product labeling. When producers are required to label their packaging with the amount of recycled material it contains (including the packaging), consumers can make more educated choices. Consumers with sufficient [[buying power]] can choose more environmentally conscious options, prompting producers to increase the recycled material in their products and increase demand. Standardized recycling labeling can also have a positive effect on the supply of recyclates when it specifies how and where the product can be recycled.<ref name="gar" />