Compology briefs Congressional Recycling Caucus on waste metering

CEO and co-founder of Compology Jason Gates recently appeared before the Congressional Recycling Caucus to brief its members on the environmental and cost savings benefits of waste metering. His brief included how metering can be scaled to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) goal to increase the recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030. 

During his brief, Gates gave an overview of how Compology’s waste metering technology mitigates this problem and ensures contaminants are identified and removed before waste collection. 

Gates also shared results from Compology’s recent meter launch with Miami. The city implemented waste metering across its municipal dumpsters to reduce CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, noise pollution and illegal dumping while improving code compliance and enhancing urban beautification efforts. Gates shared that initial results from the pilot predicted a 50 percent increase in recycling rates at dozens of municipal buildings and thousands of tons of C02 reduced. 

The Congressional Recycling Caucus, co-chaired in the House by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), Rep. David Joyce (R-OH-14), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) and Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL-13) and in the Senate by Sen. Tom Carper (D-D.E.) and Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), is a bipartisan caucus. The group is focused on educating members of Congress and congressional staff on the need for recycling and its environmental and economic benefits. It also supports public policies aimed at increasing recycling across the United States.

Gates highlighted how 1,300 brands, including McDonald’s, Apple and Google, have implemented waste metering technology to report on waste and recycling. Gates highlighted how the environmental and cost-saving results experienced by the private sector can be replicated in the public sector.  

As a result of outdated infrastructure, much of the country’s waste ends up in landfills, responsible for 15 percent of the United States’ total methane emissions. Compology says disinvestment in green technology and poor recycling education leaves recycling facilities unable to properly sort highly contaminated materials. This diverts 30 percent of recyclable materials directly into landfills.