EPA Reclassifies Certain Plastic Recycling as Manufacturing to Spur Innovation

In a move to boost the advanced recycling sector, the EPA under President Donald Trump and Administrator Lee Zeldin is treating certain plastic recycling operations as manufacturing activities. The agency highlighted six regulatory adjustments, including a proposal to amend the Clean Air Act’s definition of a municipal waste combustion unit so that pyrolysis plants are no longer covered by incinerator rules. Public comments on the proposal were accepted through early May, and the agency is reviewing them.

Additionally, the EPA has issued site-specific rulings that classify facilities producing sellable products as non-waste operations, drawing on a 2011 rule on secondary materials. These steps follow advice from the American Chemistry Council’s America’s Plastic Makers, which promotes pyrolysis as a way to convert plastic waste into valuable raw materials. The broader effort also includes initiatives on scrap-tire fuel use, battery-recycling frameworks, and grants for recycling infrastructure, all aimed at fostering a circular economy.