Legislative & Regulatory Committee Corner

Chair Richard Ludt opened the April 29th meeting, welcomed new members to the group, and stressed the importance of members sharing their regional updates and what keeps them up at night! With this in mind, new and seasoned members joined in on a conversation with multiple member companies who shared what they were seeing on the ground.

Among the highlights were the sharing of improper reporting of recycling rates by some local companies and suggestions for how to address that issue effectively, current restrictions on intake by some firms on the west coast unless loads contained significantly higher than normal percentages of recycled product, and the different roles that recyclers, regulators and other industry partners can play in improving true reporting of recycling rates over time. Members agreed to work together to tackle these problems.

Next, Lobbyist Danny Hurley from Capital Consulting Group discussed the role of lobbyists in government affairs. He explained that lobbyists are professionals who represent clients and work with policymakers to influence public policy. Danny shared his experience working in the US Senate and the Ohio State legislature, and how he transitioned to lobbying. He also highlighted the importance of relationship management, subject matter expertise, and ethical operation in lobbying. Danny used the example of a complex issue in Ohio related to legislation to assess additional fees on C&D operators to illustrate the lobbying process. He emphasized the need for lobbyists to reinforce existing relationships as new issues and themes present themselves in the state house while continuing to offer subject matter expertise to clients. Richard closed with a reminder to join us for our next meeting on June 30th.