The Department of Energy is partnering with the American Chemistry Council to develop technologies to recycle plastic and keep waste out of rivers, oceans, and landfills.

The Energy Department will sign a memorandum of understanding on Monday afternoon with the chemical industry's trade group that enables them to collaborate on a number of projects.

These include creating technologies that collect plastic more easily once it has entered waterways, producing new plastics that are recyclable by design, and developing technologies that upcycle waste chemicals from plastic into other commercial products.

For example, the Energy Department cited the possibility of reclaiming material contained in the plastic of a water bottle and selling that to automakers for use in building vehicles.

Through this partnership with the American Chemistry Council, the Department of Energy is furthering its mission to spur American innovation and leadership in energy efficient recycling technologies and the manufacture of new plastics that are recyclable by design to reduce plastic waste in our rivers, oceans, and landfills," said Mark W. Menezes, the Energy Departments undersecretary of energy.

The partnership is part of the Energy Departments "Plastics Innovation Challenge, an initiative announced by former Secretary Rick Perry late last year that encourages collaboration with the private sector to accelerate energy-efficient technologies that reduce plastic waste in oceans and landfills. Most of the plastic used by people today is not recycled but instead turns up in landfills or leaks into the environment.

The Energy Department framed the project as an extension of the Trump administration's approach to energy policy, in which it looks to incentivize private sector innovation, as opposed to imposing regulations or mandates to pursue aims.

Seeking to court swing voters ahead of President Trump's reelection campaign, the administration is looking to promote aspects of its environmental record related to traditional agenda items, such as cleaning up toxic waste sites, combating lead in drinking water, and cleaning up oceans, while downplaying the threat of climate change.

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Energy Department partners with chemical group to keep plastic waste out of oceans - Washington Examiner