Senate panel weighs Recycling Market Development Program and Texas Recycling Fund

Senate Bill 2689 would establish a recycling market development program at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), create a Recycling Market Advisory Council, and create the Texas Recycling Fund to award grants and loans to encourage recycling‑linked economic development.

Senator Kelly Hancock described the bill as implementing the 2021 TCEQ Recycling Market Development Plan and said it would fund research, public education, financial incentives and an unpaid advisory council representing supply‑chain stakeholders. The committee substitute clarifies that the fund would not be financed by fees, taxes or penalties on private entities and would include criteria to prevent funds reaching illegitimate businesses.

Supporters included industry and advocacy witnesses: Sam Gamage of Dow described market demand for post‑consumer resins and the need for more domestic feedstocks; Logan Harrell of the Texas Chemistry Council and Luke Metzger of Environment Texas urged voluntary, market‑driven approaches and expanded access. Steve Shannon, an industry veteran, and Sarah Kaylor of The Recycling Partnership provided data on statewide waste tonnages and the economic opportunity of capturing currently landfilled recyclables.

Several witnesses pressed for attention to rural access and multifamily housing, and recommended guardrails to ensure grants spur credible recycling investments. The committee heard multiple panels of stakeholders for and against parts of the approach; public testimony concluded and the bill was left pending.