Federal trade policy has jolted the aluminum market, doubling tariffs on imported metal and pushing manufacturers to source more material domestically. That shock has a silver lining in that it highlights the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest path to real “made-in-America” supply, recycling our own cans.

A new study from Dr. Raymond Robertson of Texas A&M University, combined with fresh global trade warnings, makes clear that Texas must take control of its recycling future. The research demonstrates that U.S. imports of plastic waste are uniquely unstable, heading towards collapse when tariffs change, while global experts now warn that tariff-driven costs will weigh heavily on American consumers and manufacturers through 2026.

Recent changes to trade policy have expanded tariffs to include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin—the plastic used to make water and soda bottles—adding another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile global marketplace. Both virgin and recycled PET (rPET) are now subject to the new tariff rules, raising concerns for beverage brands, manufacturers, and recyclers alike.

The U.S. aluminum industry is at a crossroads. Once the global leader in primary production, America’s smelters have dwindled to a fraction of their former capacity. In 1980, thirty-three smelters produced more than 4.6 million metric tons of primary aluminum annually. Today, only a handful remain, producing less than 700,000 metric tons. The reason is clear: America lost its competitive edge on power.

America doesn’t have an aluminum shortage — it has an aluminum collection problem. Right now, billions of dollars’ worth of this...

At a recent hearing before the U.S. House Environment Subcommittee, lawmakers and industry leaders rolled out new proposals to improve...

A recent article from Resource Recycling took stock of national momentum behind bottle deposit legislation—and Texas earned a notable...

Texans are no strangers to hardship, but the devastation caused by the recent floods has been beyond heartbreaking. As rivers rose, families were forced to flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. Lives have been lost. Communities have been torn apart. And the road to recovery will be long and painful.

The Texans for Clean Water team traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leaders and build momentum behind a smarter, more strategic approach to recycling policy—one rooted in conservation, accountability, and domestic economic strength.

Texans for Clean Water President Maia Corbitt joined Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC),...

Since December, a three-person Litter Crew collected nearly 14 tons of trash from city streets, underpasses, and high-traffic areas. That’s a remarkable effort to keep neighborhoods, downtown corridors, and key gateways like Fort Hood Street clean and welcoming.

Now that the 2025 Texas legislative session has officially wrapped, it’s tempting to close the books and move on. But for those of us who...

As the 2025 Texas legislative session comes to a close, we want to pause and say thank you—from the bottom of our hearts—for the incredible support, hard work, and commitment that brought HB 2048 and SB 728 further than ever before.

We talked about how our organization takes a different approach—focusing on free-market solutions that don’t rely on new taxes or top-down mandates. One of the best examples? A container refund program. It’s simple: consumers get a small deposit back when they return beverage containers, creating an incentive to reduce litter and increase recycling. This model is working wonders in states like Michigan and Maine, and even better in countries like Germany and Lithuania.

Texans for Clean Water was recently featured in Plastics News for our leadership in advancing a bipartisan, industry-supported bottle bill in Texas—highlighting the momentum building behind HB 2048. The article, titled “Texas bottle bill plan has bipartisan support, PET industry backing,” prominently featured our president Maia Corbitt, who has been a consistent and effective voice championing this market-driven solution to Texas’s recycling challenges.

By Mike Garver Texans are doing everything they can to stretch their dollars these days. With inflation still hitting hard and prices...

With the arrival of tariffs on imported aluminum, the reality is that America does not have domestic production sufficient to meet the raw material demands of multiple industries. However, this challenge presents a golden opportunity for Texas and the rest of the country to emerge as a leader in America’s recycling renaissance.