Highlights from the Recycling Open House

On August 30, PLASTICS hosted a virtual open house including presentations by representatives of several trade organizations communicating initiatives in support of using recycled plastics. Andy Brewer, associate director at PLASTICS, moderated the series. During his opening statements, Brewer touched on the challenge of increasing recycled material supply, setting a theme that would run through the afternoon, as leaders presented programs aimed at boosting collection and reincorporating waste materials into value streams.

Adam Gendell, director at the Recycling Partnership, described grant programs aimed at increasing recovery and reprocessing, in the target areas of PP, film and flexibles, and thermoformed PET.  Gendell emphasized that material selections consider suitability for a circular future.

Ruth Maust, project manager at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, gave an overview of collaborations aimed at helping companies achieve greater circularity including the Flexible Packaging Recovery Collaborative, the Next Markets Collaborative, and the Chemical Recycling Collaborative. Maust listed the tough questions faced by chemical recyclers including understanding the life cycle impacts of processes, dealing with regulatory uncertainty, and environmental justice concerns.  

Jay Thomas, vice president at the Vinyl Institute, described goals for increasing recycling of durable, postconsumer material wastes. A Vinyl Institute pilot program underway in Northeast Ohio has established a system for recovering vinyl siding for recycling.

Resa Dimino, managing principal at Resource Recycling Systems, reviewed data on the state of recycling in the US, offering key insights along the way. “There is a critical disconnect in U.S. recycling—the supply of recycled feedstocks is driven by policy, while the demand for these materials is market driven. This creates an imbalance in the system,” said Dimino. While demand for recycled plastic is high, the recovery rates show that collection is stagnant or even dropping for some materials. Dimino also reviewed challenges specifically relating to the recycling of thermoformed PET products.

Peylina Chu, executive director at the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, described the opportunity for growth in advanced recycling of plastic hospital waste, which is mostly clean but currently landfilled or incinerated. Chu described project phases for a pilot program, focused on pouches, as it progressed from initial evaluation to hospital scale-up and proof of concept.

Kara Pochiro, vice president at the Association for Plastics Recyclers, highlighted the importance of design for recyclability, described the organization’s PCR certification program and design guide, and related the success of the Demand Champions program, whose participants have increased demand for PCR by 180 million lb.