NWRA applauds senators for urging access to PPE for waste and recycling workers

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, issued a statement June 3 applauding Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware and Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, co-chairs of the Senate Recycling Caucus, for sending a letter to Senate leadership urging priority access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for the waste and recycling industry. The letter was drafted in response to a request from, and consultation with, NWRA.

“America’s waste and recycling collection sector directly and indirectly employs nearly 1.5 million people across our country in every state and congressional district with a total payroll of nearly $30 billion,” the letter states. “During this national emergency, members of this sector have been classified as ‘essential,’ having been listed under five different ‘essential critical infrastructure workers’ headings in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) 3.0 guidelines.

“Due to their essential status, these hardworking Americans will continue to provide waste and recycling services to customers and communities in order to protect the public’s health and safety. As waste and recycling bins continue to fill up, these men and women need to have the adequate equipment, including PPE, to do their jobs in a safe and responsible way. Providing this equipment will ensure community and household waste and recycling programs can continue to operate, as these programs are often also playing a critical role in supplying raw materials for the manufacturing of essential products during this unique time.”

“We thank Sens. Carper and Boozman along with the rest of their colleagues who signed this letter to Senate leadership. It demonstrates that safety is a bipartisan issue,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says. “The private sector waste and recycling industry is essential to preventing the spread of disease and illness, especially now during the COVID-19 crisis. It is important that they have the proper equipment, including PPE, to do their jobs safely.”

NWRA says this initiative is a continued step in the association’s mission to engage with federal, state and local governments to ensure that its member companies can continue to operate in a safe manner during this global pandemic.