Recycling

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text provides detailed information on duties, membership, and requirements for the Office of Cooperative Marketing for Recyclables and the Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council.

Recycling Act

This bill establishes an office and council to enhance recycling efforts in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the Office of Cooperative Marketing for Recyclables within TDEC, which will work on enhancing markets for recyclable materials without expanding or modifying regulatory authority.
• Creates a Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council with members appointed by various officials to advise on recycling efforts.
• Requires the Department of General Services and the Department of Environment and Conservation to submit annual reports about their recycling actions.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)
• Recycling industry representatives
• Conservation organizations
• Local government officials involved in waste management

Terms To Know

Office of Cooperative Marketing for Recyclables

A new office within TDEC that will work on improving the market for recyclable materials.

Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council

A council made up of various representatives to advise on recycling efforts in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not expand or modify TDEC's regulatory, tax, or fee authority.
• The Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council will be terminated by June 30, 2030, unless continued by the General Assembly.

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED
AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1793, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to establish the office
of cooperative marketing for recyclables
and the
recycling market development and diversion advisory council
.

O
ffice of
C
ooperative
M
arketing for
R
ecyclables

This amendment establishes the
office of cooperative marketing for recyclables
in TDEC, to be funded with f
unds available from the solid waste management fund
. The full text of this amendment specifies nine duties that the office will exercise with regard to enhancing markets for recyclable materials. This amendment specifies that the establishment of the office
does not expand or modify the department's regulatory, tax, or fee authority.
This amendment also classifies as confidential a
ll proprietary, c
onfidential, or competitively sensitive information submitted by a private entity to
the office in furtherance of enhancing markets for recyclable materials.

Recycling Market Development and Diversion Advisory Council

This amendment establishes the 17-member
recycling market development and diversion advisory council, which
will be
attached to
TDEC
for administrative purposes only.
The full text of this amendment specifies nine duties for the council concerning the market for recyclables.
The council
will
consist of the following voting members:

(1) Five representatives of private industry, appointed by the governor, who shall represent industries that may include plastics, glass, paper, aluminum, scrap metal, advanced recycling, other recyclable materials sectors, producers of consumer goods,
or retailers of consumer goods;

(2) Two representatives of recycling-focused trade associations, appointed by the governor;

(3) One representative of a private recycling operator, appointed by the governor;

(4) One representative of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, appointed by the governor;

(5) One representative from a conservation organization, appointed by the governor;

(6) One municipal solid waste director, appointed by the governor;

(7) One
c
ounty solid waste director, appointed by the governor;

(8) One member of the advisory task force on solid waste, jointly appointed by the chair of the energy, agriculture and natural resources committee of the senate and the chair of the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over subje
ct matters pertaining to solid waste disposal;

(9) The commissioner of
TDEC
, or the commissioner's designee;

(10) The commissioner of
ECD
, or the
commissioner's designee;

(11) One member of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and

(12) One member of the senate, appointed by the speaker of the senate.

The full text of this amendment specifies various organizational and procedural requirements for the council. This amendment requires the
council
to
submit a
nnual
report
s
to the governor, the chair of the senate energy, agriculture and natural resources committee, and the chair of the committee of the house of representatives having subject jurisdiction over solid waste disposal.

The general assembly may request additional reports from the council on specific matters related to recycling market developmen
t.
This amendment specifies that the council will not
regulate solid waste disposal,
and establishment of the council will not
expand
TDEC's
regulatory authority, or authorize
TDEC
to impose new reporting requirements, recycling mandates, procurement mandates, disposal restrictions, fees or other regulatory obligations absent separate legislative authorization.

The council is terminated on June 30, 2030, unless continued by an act of the general assembly.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2518
By Todd

SENATE BILL 1793
By Reeves
SB1793
009957
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 68, Chapter 211,
relative to recycling.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-211-865, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
( ) The department of general services and the department of environment and
conservation shall each prepare an annual report on the actions taken under this section
and submit their findings to the general assembly no later than December 31 of each
year.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.