Federal working group to standardize recycled plastic tracking across industries
S. 5182 — Tracking Plastic Act of 2026 · Filed by Adam Schiff (D-CA) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill creates a Federal working group led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, EPA, and Department of Commerce to develop recommendations for tracking recycled plastic content in products and improving domestic markets for recycled plastics. The group will coordinate with states, local governments, nonprofits, material recovery facilities, and academic institutions to establish standardized measurement systems, traceability standards, and reporting frameworks for recycled plastic use across packaging, construction, infrastructure, and automotive sectors, with annual public reports to Congress over a 10-year period.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is establishing a multi-agency working group to develop voluntary recommendations and standardized measurement systems for recycled plastic traceability—a coordination and standard-setting mechanism rather than a regulatory mandate or appropriation.
What the text implies
- The bill creates no binding requirements on industry; recommendations are voluntary, meaning adoption depends on future regulatory action or market incentives that may never materialize.
- A 10-year timeline with annual reporting creates ongoing federal coordination costs and staff time, but no dedicated appropriation is specified in the text, leaving funding mechanism unclear.
- Harmonizing state recycled plastic content requirements through federal recommendations may preempt or weaken state-level environmental standards if federal recommendations set a lower floor.
- The working group's focus on 'trade data clarity' and 'plastic trade codes' suggests potential alignment with international trade interests, which could prioritize commerce over environmental stringency.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill establishes a transparent, multi-stakeholder working group to develop standardized tracking and measurement systems for recycled plastic content, which can reduce consumer confusion, improve market efficiency for recycled materials, and support environmental accountability. Citizens benefit from clearer labeling standards, reduced greenwashing, and better data on plastic waste streams, though the bill creates no binding requirements and relies on voluntary adoption of recommendations.
Who stands to gain
- Plastic reclaimers and material recovery facilities (potential market expansion for recycled content
- Packaging and automotive manufacturers (standardized measurement reduces compliance costs across mul
Named in the bill
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Commerce, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of State, National Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Material recovery facilities, Plastic reclaimers
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.
- Jul 30, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 30, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,921 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal working group to standardize recycled plastic tracking across industries” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s5182 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.