Policy Recommendations to Reinvigorate Recycling in Arizona

This report reviews state legislation and interviews waste management coordinators to identify the key challenges and opportunities for improving recycling in Arizona municipalities. China’s 2018 ban on importing recyclables has disrupted recycling programs across the United States. In Arizona, many municipalities are significantly reducing or completely halting their recycling programs, causing some cities to landfill their recyclables. This report recommends Arizona state legislators pass appropriate funding for the recycling grant program, amend recycling programs to allow for joint applications, repeal prohibitions on municipal regulation of auxiliary recycling containers, introduce a tax on products imported in single-use containers, and provide incentives to companies using Arizona recyclables. These policies work to reinvigorate recycling within the state, make Arizona’s waste management systems more cost-effective, and foster new local processing and manufacturing industries.