HB477 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Terri CollinsRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Solid waste recycling, advanced recycling defined, conversion of materials back to basis hydrocarbons, not waste disposal or incineration, Sec. 22-27-2 am'd.

Summary

HB477 defines advanced plastic recycling, states it is not solid waste disposal or incineration, and adds mill scale and slag to the solid waste definition.

What This Bill Does

The bill creates new definitions for advanced plastic recycling, its facilities, post-use polymers, and recovered feedstock, describing the processes and outputs. It clarifies that advanced recycling is not considered solid waste disposal, processing, management, or incineration, and requires department inspections of facilities. It imposes a 75% processing rule, requiring most post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks received in the prior year to be processed at an advanced plastic recycling facility or transferred elsewhere to qualify. If a facility fails to meet these requirements, it loses advanced status and remains subject to all applicable solid waste laws.

Who It Affects

• Advanced plastic recycling facilities and entities that provide post-use polymers would be regulated under the new definitions and the 75% processing qualification, and would be subject to department inspections and existing solid waste laws when not meeting the criteria.
• Solid waste management facilities and steel-producing operations that generate mill scale and slag would be affected by the updated solid waste definition, now including mill scale and slag, and by how solid waste is regulated under the act.

Key Provisions

• Defines ADVANCED PLASTIC RECYCLING as a manufacturing process converting post-use polymers and recovered feedstocks into basic hydrocarbon raw materials and related products using technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization, catalytic cracking, reforming, hydrogenation, and solvolysis.
• Defines ADVANCED PLASTIC RECYCLING FACILITY and states it is not a solid waste processing facility, solid waste management facility, materials recovery facility, waste-to-energy facility, or incinerator, but requires department inspections and compliance with solid waste and other environmental regulations; requires at least 75% of the weight/volume of post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks received in the prior year to be processed at such a facility or transferred elsewhere to qualify; non-compliant facilities lose advanced status and are subject to standard solid waste laws.
• Defines POST-USE POLYMER and RECOVERED FEEDSTOCK with criteria that post-use polymers are sorted from solid waste, used as feedstock for advanced recycling, not mixed with solid waste onsite or during conversion, and that recovered feedstock includes post-use polymers and EPA-recognized feedstocks that are not solid waste and must not be mixed with solid waste onsite or during conversion.
• Adds MILL SCALE AND SLAG to the SOLID WASTE definition as co-products from steel manufacturing that are managed as value items but are considered solid waste.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Environment