Separating fact from fiction on America Recycles Day

Clare Goldsberry | Nov 15, 2019

Today is America Recycles Day. So, why aren't we recycling more? Why are we in a situation in which cities, large and small, have stopped curbside collection of recyclables because of the cost? Even Phoenix announced this week that it is considering raising collection rates or reducing the number of curbside pickups to every other week due to the increasing costs and small returns.

What's working? Well, according to the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA), the plastic bag and film waste stream remains untouched. Why? The biggest reason is the Bag-2-Bag program, which allows consumers to easily drop off their bags and films at the grocery store. This program hasn't been impacted by China's National Sword policy because the recycled bags were never exported. The plastic film is collected at stores and brought back to plastic manufacturers, who convert them into everything from playground equipment to park benches and new grocery bags.

Thanks to this program, more than 90% of Americans can access a plastic film recycling site within 10 miles of their home, said the APBA. The program also has made it possible for consumers to easily recycle a wide range of other plastic films, from Amazon packaging to dry cleaning bags, produce bags and paper towel wraps.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) believes that Nov. 15 is the "perfect time for Americans to hear the truth about their beverage containers: Beverage containers made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic have a lower carbon footprint compared with their aluminum can counterparts in cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment."

Given all the negativity—and inaccuracies—perpetuated by aluminum advocates, the above fact presented by NAPCOR is not what you expected to hear. While the plastics industry would like to engage in a "healthy debate" on the environmental impact of aluminum cans vs. PET, it appears that's not what is happening, said NAPCOR.

NAPCOR, the trade group for the PET plastic packaging industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico, wants to set the record straight to make sure Americans hear the truth, can make informed decisions about their packaging choices, and are motivated to maximize the environmental benefits of PET through proper recycling.

Here are a few facts that NAPCOR would like all Americans to know on America Recycles Day:

To celebrate what it calls America Recycles Week (Nov. 11 to 15), Nestlé Waters unveiled its third annual, comprehensive national study: "This is How We Planet: America's Perspective on Water, Packaging and Health." Drawing from more than 6,676 online quantitative interviews, Nestlé Waters North America highlights some of the biggest packaging and recycling challenges facing the United States today.

Top findings from the survey include:

The answer appears to be pretty clear in the Nestlé survey: People want recycling to be easier and they want a simpler method of identifying the most recyclable types of plastics. Perhaps that's why the Bag-2-Bag program is so successful—it's easy to identify a bag! People also want to know what plastics are not recyclable. As I’ve suggested before, maybe we need only two numbers for recycling—#1 PET and #2 HDPE. That certainly simplifies the identification and gets the most-wanted plastics to the recycling infrastructure.

Nestlé Waters North America has made an effort to address some of these very issues by creating an end market for recycled plastic, designing for recyclability and inspiring consumers to recycle more. The company also has invested in and collaborated with organizations, such as the Closed Loop Fund and The Recycling Partnership, that aim to improve recycling infrastructure to help increase recycling capabilities and improve access across the United States.

Let's face it: People are at the heart of the plastic pollution problem and until people—you know who you are—stop throwing plastic waste into the environment, we will continue to have problems with it. We in the industry must continue to educate consumers, simplify the recycling waste stream and provide better ways for people to recycle the most-needed plastics.

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