Recycling and Composting: New National Labeling Standards
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is reviewing this bill. It has not moved since August 6, 2026. Most bills like this do not receive a committee vote and often stall at this stage.
While there is public interest in fixing recycling, industry pushback on strict 60 percent thresholds and the complexity of national standards often stall these bills in committee.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Any company that puts a recyclable, compostable, reusable, or refillable label on a product must meet strict new federal criteria or drop the claim, and after a two year phase in period, violations can bring daily fines under the FTC Act. Smaller producers without in house testing or legal teams may struggle to verify that their packaging meets the 60 percent market coverage or ASTM compost standards, even though clearer national rules could eventually reduce the patchwork of state label laws they now navigate.
“Any person that violates this section, is provided notice under subparagraph (A), and does not rectify the violation by the end of the period described in that subparagraph shall be fined for each violation and for each day that the violation occurs under section 5(m)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Introduced by Rep. Lou Correa and Sen. Jeff Merkley, the bill directs the EPA and FTC to establish enforceable definitions for recyclable and compostable. It sets a 60% community access threshold for recyclability claims and a 50% threshold for compostability, aiming to end deceptive labeling.
The federal Truth in Labeling Act of 2026 seeks to clarify labeling for recyclable and compostable packaging. The legislation is a response to confusion over the 'chasing arrows' symbol and would establish voluntary national labels backed by strict numeric thresholds for actual recovery.
Following a federal judge's injunction against California's SB 343, supporters are looking toward the newly introduced federal Truth in Labeling Act. The bill mirrors California's 60% recyclability threshold to prevent companies from using the chasing arrows symbol on non-recyclable products.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Truth in Labeling Act of 2026
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