The Association of Plastic Recyclers expended significant efforts last year updating its APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability, a reference tool helping designers create recycling-friendly packaging and products.
“Our ultimate goal is that this revised, user-friendly document will result in recyclability being incorporated into the design phase of products, which will serve to significantly reduce contamination for recyclers,” Steve Alexander, APR’s executive director, wrote in the group’s annual report.
The recently released APR 2015 annual report covers a variety of activities undertaken by the group last year, including organizational changes, expanded outreach efforts, continued partnerships, new technical studies and more.
It also hints at what the trade association is planning for 2016.
“We will redouble our efforts to work with manufacturers who produce containers that serve to contaminate the recycling stream,” Alexander wrote.
APR will also fund a life-cycle analysis project for recycled PET, HDPE and PP to provide additional data supporting the use of post-consumer recycled content.
In addition, the association plans to work with California state regulators to promote changes to the California redemption value program to ensure all PET reclaimers have access to material collected at bottle return centers.
Finally, APR is set to hold its first-ever Plastics Recycling Showcase, which will recognize APR member companies that launched commercial products benefitting plastics recycling. That event will take place at the APR Technical Forum, held in conjunction with Plastics Recycling 2016.
