June 18, 2025
Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare a report on reuse and refill systems, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Research for Environmental Uses and Sustainable Economies Act of 2025
or the REUSE Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Report on reuse and refill systems
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Administrator
The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) Reuse and refill system
The term reuse and refill system means a set of mechanisms relating to refillable or reusable products and beverage containers, as determined by the Administrator, that is supported by adequate infrastructure at the producer level, and adequate convenient availability and retail infrastructure at the consumer level, to ensure that the products and beverage containers can be—
(A)
repeatedly recovered, inspected, repaired (if necessary), and reissued by producers into the supply chain for reuse or refill for multiple cycles; and
(B)
conveniently and safely reused or refilled by producers and consumers for multiple cycles.
(3) State
The term State has the meaning given the term in section 1004 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6903).
(b) Report
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall make publicly available a report describing the feasibility of, and best practices relating to, reuse and refill systems for various sectors, as determined by the Administrator, which may include food service, consumer food and beverage products, consumer cleaning products, personal care products, transportation and shipping of wholesale and retail goods, and public educational institutions, including institutions of higher education.
(c) Objectives
The report under subsection (b) shall include an evaluation and summary of—
(1)
types of reuse and refill systems for product delivery that can be best used at different scales;
(2)
methods to ensure equitable distribution of reuse and refill systems, where economically feasible, for product delivery in communities of varying population size;
(3)
job creation opportunities through the use or expansion of reuse and refill systems;
(4)
economic costs and benefits for—
(A)
businesses that deploy reuse and refill system technologies; and
(B)
parties responsible for waste collection and management;
(5)
types of local, State, and Federal support needed to expand the use of reuse and refill systems; and
(6)
existing barriers to the widespread implementation of reuse and refill systems.
(d) Considerations
In preparing the report under subsection (b), the Administrator shall—
(1)
take into consideration relevant information relating to reuse and refill system programs and approaches in States, units of local government, and foreign countries; and
(2)
consult with relevant reuse and refill system stakeholders.