House Bill 1323, introduced by Rep. Swanny Vargas-Laureano, would create the Incentives for the Development of the Recycling Industry as Raw Material in Puerto Rico Act, aiming to encourage companies to use recycled materials as industrial feedstock and expand local recycling capacity, including through a new development fund. Brenda Reyes-Tomassini, chair of the nonprofit Basura Cero Puerto Rico and a former EPA employee, raised three concerns after reviewing the bill: imported waste, the proposed funding structure, and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources’ solid waste management plan.
The bill requires eligible companies to source at least 70% of materials locally, but allows the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, after consulting DNER, to authorize a lower share—potentially permitting up to 30% imported plastic. Reyes-Tomassini said Puerto Rico already struggles to recycle its own plastic, sometimes exporting it due to insufficient local processing capacity, and warned that if a recycling company failed, the jurisdiction would inherit the waste problem.
She also criticized the bill’s reference to the EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grants, noting these are competitive grants that cannot simply be repurposed to capitalize a new fund.