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Committee reports substitute House Bill 1150 to expand recycling access, 12-7
Summary
The House Environment & Energy Committee voted to report substitute House Bill 1150 out of committee with a "do pass" recommendation. Sponsor Representative Berry said the measure would expand curbside recycling, include multifamily housing and create producer incentives to reduce packaging.
At an executive session of the House Environment & Energy Committee, members voted 12-7, with two excused, to report substitute House Bill 1150 out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.
Representative Stevie Berry, who offered the substitute, said the bill is intended to raise residential recycling rates and hold producers accountable for packaging. "This bill will expand curbside recycling service to 11 rural counties that currently do not have it and multifamily households," Representative Berry said. She also said the bill "will make sure that companies finally have a financial incentive to reduce the amount of packaging that they use and move towards more sustainable materials." Representative Berry added, "This bill will increase recycling from 40 to 66% by 02/1932."
A committee member representing the Seventeenth District voiced concerns that costs could fall to consumers, calling parts of the bill "kind of a regressive tax" and asking where collection infrastructure would be placed in very rural communities. That member urged a "no" vote while acknowledging support for the bill's intent to reduce litter and improve recycling convenience.
The motion to report the proposed substitute was made and seconded by committee leadership and moved to a roll-call vote. Staff announced the final tally as 12 ayes, 7 nays, 2 excused; by that vote the substitute was reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.
The bill, as described in committee, would (per Representative Berry's summary) expand curbside recycling to specified rural counties, include multifamily households, and create financial incentives for producers to reduce packaging. Committee discussion referenced other producer-responsibility laws in Canada, Europe and several U.S. states as precedent.
Votes at a glance: Substitute House Bill 1150 — reported out of committee (do pass recommendation); committee tally announced: 12 ayes, 7 nays, 2 excused.
No floor action or implementation timeline was decided in the committee meeting; the committee forwarded the bill to the next step in the legislative process.
