Energy & Environment
Advanced Recycling Legislative Trends During the 2026 Sessions
June 9, 2026 | Kim Miller
Since 2024, 21 states have considered 34 bills on state advanced recycling legislation, with activity picking up in 2026 across 11 states. Maine and California are the only states to have enacted new laws during this period, taking notably different approaches to how advanced recycling processes are classified. California's approach under CA AB 70 stands out: rather than exempting pyrolysis from solid waste laws as many other states have done, the state classified it under existing solid waste law without recognizing it as recycling. This keeps stricter permitting requirements in place for pyrolysis facility regulations in the state. Several northeastern states, including Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, have considered bills that would exempt advanced recycling facilities from solid waste permitting requirements, but none have passed. Meanwhile, states like Rhode Island, Vermont, and Oregon have moved in the opposite direction, considering legislation that would effectively prohibit plastic waste conversion facilities altogether. States with existing advanced recycling laws are also revisiting them. Oklahoma expanded its definition of advanced recycling to include tire pyrolysis, while Virginia extended a tax credit for machinery used in advanced recycling through 2027. The broader legislative picture reflects an ongoing debate over how to classify chemical recycling state bills, with no clear national consensus emerging on whether advanced recycling should be treated more like recycling or more like solid waste disposal. States that haven't yet adjourned, including North Carolina, New Jersey, and Michigan, could still see movement before their sessions close.
