In an effort to reduce litter and increase recycling, more and more jurisdictions are turning to deposit return systems for the recovery of beverage containers. These systems require consumers to pay a small deposit at the point of purchase, and they get the deposit back when they return the empty container for recycling.
In May, a number of key curbside plastics have continued to increase in value.
Increasing end market demand and improving infrastructure are essential ingredients for a sustainable plastics recycling industry – and for recycling as a whole.
Prices continue to climb for PET and HDPE containers collected at the curb, but the news wasn’t so good for mixed plastics, which have a negative value in many regions.
Pricing for recovered PET and HDPE packaging has been stronger lately, but bulky rigid and film values have remained flat over the past few months.
The SPI Resin Identification Code (RIC), now the property of ASTM, an international standards organization, was created in 1988 to help recycling stakeholders know which plastic was being used for containers. Required on certain containers in 39 states in the U.S., the RIC names six resins without defining them and provides a seventh number for all others.
This story originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Plastics Recycling Update.
Subscribe today for access to all print content.
