What I expected to be a year of opportunity for plastics recycling in 2025 did not materialize. These 5 factors will shape 2026, underpinned by recyclers’ resiliency and perseverance.

Mechanical recyclers across North America have the capacity right now to recycle significantly more plastic.

Plastics recycling works — when the system works with it. That’s not a slogan. It’s a reality backed by data and by decades of experience from the companies and communities that make up the plastics recycling value chain.

This article appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Plastics Recycling Update. Subscribe today for access to all print content. 2025 is a pivotal year for plastics recycling, where progress, promises and policies are set to collide. As companies reevaluate their long-standing commitments, policymakers push for new regulations and misinformation clouds public perception, recyclers must navigate a landscape filled with both challenges...

This article appeared in the January 2024 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.

Increasing end market demand and improving infrastructure are essential ingredients for a sustainable plastics recycling industry - and for recycling as a whole. Recently, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) was pleased to collaborate with a host of recycling organizations on a joint letter to Congress regarding the potential inclusion of recycling in infrastructure legislation. Among the issues identified by...

Increasing end market demand and improving infrastructure are essential ingredients for a sustainable plastics recycling industry - and for recycling as a whole. Recently, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) was pleased to collaborate with a host of recycling organizations on a joint letter to Congress regarding the potential inclusion of recycling in infrastructure legislation. Among the issues identified by...

Working with the ever-changing stream of packaging innovations is a constant challenge for the plastics recycling industry. At the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), we believe functional, attractive and economical plastic products can also be fully compatible with material recovery and plastics reclamation systems. Nonetheless, many new forms of packaging act as contaminants to the recycling stream. And these materials...