Intuition says making products from recycled plastic is better for the environment than using virgin plastic. A recent study puts hard numbers to that understanding.
Intuition says making products from recycled plastic is better for the environment than using virgin plastic. A recent study puts hard numbers to that understanding.
Resin and packaging giants this month committed $1 billion over the next five years to “end plastic waste.” While recycling and sustainability stakeholders say they are encouraged by the effort, they also want to ensure materials recovery remains part of the solution.
Multiple virgin plastics manufacturers recently purchased PET recycling operations, citing rising demand from brand owners looking to use recycled material.
Companies from throughout the plastics value chain have committed more than $1 billion to reduce plastic waste by improving waste management systems and cleaning up existing pollution.
RRS reviewed data from foam polystyrene plastic recycling programs in several communities that had received grants to target the material.
The numbers show a pattern of a sizable initial rise in foam collected per capita during the first year of the program, followed by more modest growth in subsequent years.
Programs built around multiple drop-off sites were able to collect more foam per capita than curbside programs or programs using a single drop-off site.
Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.
This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
Envision Plastics has had success integrating marine plastics into the supply chain. But if more brand owners don’t step up to purchase the material, the whole effort may have to scale back, an executive at the reclaimer said.
Our monthly look at values for common post-consumer materials shows steadiness in plastics and rises in fiber, with some particularly notable jumps seen in old corrugated containers.
Year-end customs figures from the Chinese government quantify the country’s marked decrease in recyclable material purchases in the first year of new import restrictions.
