Challenges remain to scaling up TPO bumper collection to a national scale. | Kaentian Street/Shutterstock
TPO bumper covers can be processed into a high-quality recycled pellet that’s cheaper than virgin plastic, but challenges remain in feedstock collection and preparation.
Historically, companies have used post-consumer resin (PCR) because it was a lower cost feedstock than virgin. In recent years, however, pricing for virgin plastic (mostly “wide spec” resin) has fallen below that of PCR (mostly high quality PCR that is suitable for food contact).
A Carton Council survey found 44% of respondents simply don’t believe their recyclables are being recycled. | siam.pukkato/Shutterstock
Industry-wide challenges are causing recycling-related skepticism among the public. But that’s not leading consumers to stop recycling, according to a recent survey.
IBM has a goal to recover more PET from highly contaminated streams. | Credit: Wall Street Journal video.
Three different chemistry-based processes for recovering plastics have recently grabbed attention, illustrating the wide range of stakeholders working to find solutions beyond mechanical recycling.
Packaging company Mondi led a project that created a pouch made of 20% post-consumer plastic. | Courtesy of Mondi.
For years, packaging producers have been marketing recyclable multi-layer flexible packages. Now, they’re finding success using recycled plastic in their products.
This article has been corrected.
Research focused on recycling scrap PET bottles and carpet into a reinforced polymer composite received federal funding recently.
A handful of industry groups and plastics producers are teaming up on a 60-day effort to try to capture a wider variety of materials from the flow of curbside recyclables in Portland, Ore.
The national plastics recycling rate fell slightly from 2014 to 2015, as the country recycled less but generated more of the material, according to the U.S. EPA.
A project is exploring the use of chemistry to recycle polyurethane foam from a variety of durable goods into higher-end applications.
If a brand owner puts a “not recyclable” label on its packaging, consumers are likely to appreciate the honesty rather than frown on that company, survey results suggest.