Number: RL34617
Title: Recycling Programs in Congress: Legislative Development and Architect of the Capitol Administration
Authors: Jacob R. Straus, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: The House of Representatives and the Senate created separate voluntary recycling programs in 1989, during the 101st Congress (1989-1991). Administered by the Architect of the Capitol, the recycling programs aimed to reduce the amount of material sent to landfills and establish the House and the Senate as leaders of the recycling movement. The initial recycling programs in the House and Senate focused on the recycling of paper and the use of recycled paper, including white office paper, newspaper, and cardboard. While the program had modest beginnings, since 1992, when the General Services Administration (GSA) began managing the House and Senate recycling contracts, the House (9,939 tons) and the Senate (5,117 tons) have recycled a combined total of approximately 15,056 tons of paper. At approximately the same time the House and Senate began recycling paper, they also began recycling bottles and cans. Since 1992, when GSA began managing the recycling of non-paper materials, the House (572 tons) and the Senate (198 tons) have recycled a combined total of approximately 770 tons of bottles and cans. This number has fluctuated as the increased use of plastic instead of glass bottles has decreased the total weight of recycled bottles and cans.
Pages: 39
Date: August 13, 2008