APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program

Transcription

1 APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program Liz Bedard, Director

2 National trade association Representing those companies with 95% of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in North America.

3 Recycling plastics beyond #1 and #2 plastic bottles is an issue for individuals, recyclers, brand name companies, public policy maker, collectors, resin companies and reclaimers. Consumers want to recycle more plastics AND a wide variety of industries want more plastics recycled!

4 Two ends of the equation - are in sync Missing - a nationally focused effort to expand plastics recycling beyond #1 and #2 bottles

5 The is a membership committee and represents rigid plastic stakeholders generators, collectors recyclers, reclaimers brand names companies resin producers public policy makers At the table, committed to expanding rigid plastic recycling beyond #1 & #2 bottles.

6 American Chemistry Council Berry Plastics BWAY Clean Tech Inc. ConAgra Foods Custom Polymers Inc Dow Chemical Company DuPont Entropex Envision Plastics Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. FCR - Casella Graham Recycling Company Harris Industries Haycore Canada Inc. IntegriCo Composites Kimberly-Clark Kraft Foods KW Plastics Recycling LyondellBasell Industries Merlin Plastics Supply Inc. Milliken & Company NAPCOR NatureWorks LLC North Carolina Div. of Pollution Prevention Procter & Gamble Company Pure Tech Plastics Recyc RPM Rehrig Logistics Ropak Manufacturing Company Solo Cup Starbucks Coffee Company Talco Plastics, Inc. US Environmental Protection Agency Waste Management Recycle America

7 There are MANY different bales currently being produced that contain rigid plastics. None of them have industry wide accepted bale specifications. Many believe the lack of bale specifications leads to material being exported.

8 PET/HDPE Bottles Bottles other than PET/HDPE Non-bottle Containers Bulky Rigid Plastics All Rigid Plastics X X X X Pre-picked Rigids X X X Bottles & Containers X X X Household Containers X X Tubs & Lids PE and PP only Olefin Bale HDPE only PE and PP only PE and PP only PE and PP only Bulky Rigids X

9 Model Bale Specifications have been completed for of the seven categories 1. Tubs & Lids - PP, PE non-bottle household containers 2. Bulky Rigid - All bulky rigid plastic (includes carts, crates, buckets, baskets, toys, lawn furniture) These model bale specifications are available on the APR website at

10 It is imperative to address the demand side of the nonbottle rigid plastic recycling issue.. What type of recycled resins are wanted? What is the demand for these resins? What are the desired physical properties? A subcommittee of brand name companies, plastic reclaimers/recyclers and resin producers, asking the questions and jointly searching for answers.

11 Funded by APR Rigids Plastics Recycling Program members. An overview of where non-bottle rigid plastics recycling currently stands and what potential there is to expand it into the future.

12 Bales from US and Canadian locations were sorted into 82 categories and various sources of data was reviewed to determine - The types, volumes & destination of rigid plastics currently being recycling. The type & tonnage of rigid plastics available for recycling.

13 Estimated annual volume & resin type of recyclable rigid plastics generated in medium to large grocery stores Identified obstacles preventing future rigid plastics recycling Gathered data from five grocery store chains, representing 1,214 stores from throughout US.

14 Project Results Two Predominant Resin Types #5 Polypropylene (ranging from 45% to 70%) #2 HDPE (30% to 55%) Rigid Plastics Generation Rate Total 354 million pounds/year Easily recoverable 212 million pounds/year Bulky million pounds/year

15 Next Steps? 1. Pilot successful grocery store rigid plastics recycling programs. 2. Based on pilots develop How To guidelines for implementing grocery store rigids plastic recycling. 3. Partner with others to increase rigid plastics recycling in grocery stores nationally.

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17 1. Dual stream collection to single stream collection Single Stream Dual Stream Source Separated Pilot Program(s) Drop Off Only Subscription Total

18 Municipalities are beginning to shift their collection programs to all containers. #1-2 Collection All #1 & 2 Containers #1 & 2 Bottles Only TOTALS

19 Municipalities are beginning to shift their collection programs to all containers and to #1-7 plastics. #1-7 COLLECTION All #1-7 Containers #1-7 Bottles Only #1-7 Containers w/ some exceptions TOTALS

20 Expanding domestic recycling of rigid plastics beyond #1 and #2 bottles is certainly a challenge. But, the challenge has been taken on by the members of the APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program. The Program looks ahead to an exciting year of addressing supply, demand, technology and investment issues association with non-bottle rigid plastic recycling.

21 Liz Bedard, Director APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program 1001 G Street, NW Washington, DC ebedard18@gmail.com