While retail locations provide the best collection points for post-consumer film plastics, governments and haulers play a crucial role in ensuring a successful program, according to speakers on a recent webinar.
Associate Editor Jared Paben has worked for Resource Recycling since December 2014. Most of his earlier career was spent as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Bellingham, Wash., but he also has experience working for the Oregon volunteerism commission and for Oregon nonprofits serving low-income populations. He can be contacted at [email protected].While retail locations provide the best collection points for post-consumer film plastics, governments and haulers play a crucial role in ensuring a successful program, according to speakers on a recent webinar.
Dow officials say more brands are beginning to adopt its recently released stand-up pouch, which is made from one polymer and is recyclable through retail bag drop-off locations.
Existing sortation equipment at materials recovery facilities could potentially be used to create bales of flexible film packaging, a study found. And an industry group is targeting the material with a grant program.
The Reflex project successfully demonstrated flexible film packaging could be recycled into items such as boxes and crates or drainage pipes. That was one of the successes of the two-year research effort, according to the project coordinator.
A team trying to find recycling solutions for multi-material laminated packaging will explore pilot program opportunities next year. It also plans to publish a report evaluating options for recycling flexible films.
A group that includes major consumer brands wants to connect with a sorting facility to help advance the recovery of a material that is often sent to disposal.
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To begin to recover targeted plastics from multi-layer packaging, one of the world’s largest consumer product companies says it will use a unique technology and “empower waste pickers.”
For near infrared sorters, black as a color may not be the problem so much as the type of black pigment used.
Consumer products giant Unilever has committed to ensuring all of its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
The New Zealand government will fund efforts to create a plastic film recycling infrastructure while avoiding bag bans or fees.