Trade Body Spotlights Policy Actions to Boost Plastic Recycling

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Washington-based Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) released a new report tilted ‘Recommit, Reimagine, Rework Recycling’ reports progress of plastic recycling in the country and provides recommendations to boost recycling of plastic.

As per the report, recycling in the U.S. is a $236 billion industry, hosting over 9,000 community recycling programs. These programs collect materials, including plastic, which are then sorted and processed by more than 100 post-consumer recyclers in the U.S. and Canada. Plastic recycling alone is responsible for more than 2,000 jobs in the country, the report noted.

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The recycling chain in the country has been resilient over the years. The American recyclers processed nearly five billion pounds of post-consumer plastic material in 2020, despite obstacles and challenged posed by the pandemic and associated lockdowns. As of now, the market demand for recycled plastic material outpaces the supply of post-consumer plastic that is being collected and processed. The country will need to double or triple the collection of most plastic resin types to maintain the balance.

APR report noted that recycling rates could see a big boost, if more recyclable plastic products and packaging are put into recycling bins by consumers and collected.