Recycling Conference spotlights Plastic as 'the material of the future'

AUSTIN (Scrap Monster): The speakers at the 2014 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference (P&PRC2014) expressed optimistic view on future of plastic recycling. Amidst arguments by environmentalist groups that plastic pollutes oceans, the participants at the Conference foresee plastic as the material of the future. The session ‘The Outlook on Plastics’ also focused on the limitless opportunities in Plastics.

According to Ron Sherga of Dallas-based EcoStrate SFS, the biggest challenge in plastics recycling is end market demand. Plastic producers must have more control on recycling, rather than leaving it to other sectors. The industry also lacks collaboration, when it comes to plastic recycling. However, despite all these drawbacks, plastic has enormous opportunities to it and will turn out to be the material of the future, he added.

Jim Glauser of IHS noted that several factors such as public policy and corporate initiatives has badly affected plastics recycling. The Central and South America achieved almost 40% recycling rate for PET, while that of North America was only half of that. He also highlighted on the limitless end use of recycled plastics.

Phoenix Technologies’ Lori Carson shed light on fresh capital investments by plastic processors to address issues such as full-sleeve shrink-wrap labels. According to her, increased contamination levels have resulted in low yield from PET bales. The decline in soda consumption also poses major challenge to PET recyclers, Carson noted.