Compology CEO Jason Gates briefs U.S. Congressional Recycling Caucus on benefits of waste metering

Compology CEO and cofounder Jason Gates appeared before the U.S. Congressional Recycling Caucus to brief its members on the environmental and cost-savings benefits of waste metering. He also discussed how waste metering can be deployed at scale to help meet the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Recycling Strategy goals to increase the U.S. recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030 and to cut down on the contamination of recycling and composting waste. 

The Congressional Recycling Caucus – co-chaired in the House by U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone, David Joyce, Haley Stevens, and Rodney Davis and in the Senate by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and John Boozman – is a bipartisan and bicameral caucus whose focus is to educate members of Congress and congressional staff on the need for recycling and its environmental and economical benefits, and to support public policies aimed at increasing recycling across the United States.

As a result of outdated infrastructure, much of the country's waste ends up in landfills which are responsible for 15 percent of the United States' total methane emissions. While many European countries recycle more than half of their total waste, the U.S. recycles less than a third. Decades of disinvestment in green technology and poor recycling education leaves many recycling facilities unable to properly sort highly contaminated materials, ultimately diverting 30 percent of recyclable materials directly into landfills.

Gates provided attendees with an overview on how Compology's waste metering technology, powered by cameras and artificial intelligence, mitigates this problem and helps ensure contaminants are identified and removed prior to waste collection. The technology helps make sure more recyclables (and less waste) enter recycling facilities. He also highlighted that similar to how the metering of utilities overhauled how consumers use and pay for these utilities, waste metering can deliver the same benefits for waste and recycling management.

"I greatly appreciated the opportunity to brief key congressional staff on the waste and recycling industry and opportunities for modernization. It's encouraging to discuss the ways the federal government can partner with waste metering providers, like Compology, to generate $1-2 billion in taxpayer savings and drive our national recycling goals. We're already helping businesses and local governments save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and more sustainably manage their waste and recycling and believe in the exponential impact waste metering can have at scale," said Gates.