On September 24, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting on House Bill 1808 (Mackenzie-R-Lehigh) exempting certain plastic materials from being regulated as waste (sponsor summary).

The bill would provide an industry-specific exemption from the definition of waste for “post-use polymers or recoverable feedstocks where these materials are converted through pyrolysis or gasification.”

The bill defines “post-use polymers” as “Plastic polymers that derive from any household, industrial, municipal, community, commercial or other source of operations or activities which might otherwise become a waste if not converted into valuable raw, intermediate and final products, including, but not limited to, plastic, monomers, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, chemical feedstocks, crude oil, diesel, gasoline, diesel and gasoline blendstocks, home heating oil and other fuels, including ethanol and  transportation fuel. Post-use polymers may contain incidental contaminants or impurities such as paper labels or metal rings. Post-use polymers are not mixed with solid waste, municipal waste, residual waste, medical waste, hazardous waste, e-waste, tires or construction demolition debris. Post-use polymers shall not be considered solid wastes, residual wastes or municipal wastes.”

"Pyrolysis"  is defined as a manufacturing process through which post-use polymers are heated in the absence of oxygen until melted and thermally decomposed and then cooled, condensed and converted into valuable raw, intermediate and final products, including, but not limited to, plastic, monomers, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, chemical feedstocks, crude oil, diesel, gasoline, diesel and gasoline blendstocks, home heating oil and other fuels, including ethanol and transportation fuel. Pyrolysis shall not be considered processing, incineration or treatment.”

"Gasification" is defined as a “manufacturing process through which recoverable feedstocks or post-use polymers are heated and converted into a fuel-gas mixture in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere and the mixture is converted into valuable raw, intermediate and final products, including, but not limited to, plastic, monomers, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, chemical feedstocks, crude oil, diesel, gasoline, diesel and gasoline blendstocks, home heating oil and other fuels, including ethanol and transportation fuel. Gasification shall not be considered processing, incineration or treatment.”

The meeting will be held in Room G-50 Irvis Building and will start at 10:00.  Click Here to watch the meeting online.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.

(Photo: Rep. Mackenzie (R-Lehigh/Berks).)

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[Posted: September 20, 2019]

9/22/2019