America’s Plastic Makers Invite Collaboration to Help Create More Circular and Sustainable Systems for Plastics Collection and Recovery

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): As part of its recognition of America Recycles Day, America’s plastic makers called on Congress to work with industry to prioritize recycling legislation in 2021. “The plastics industry has set an ambitious goal of reusing, recycling or recovering 100% of plastic packaging in the U.S. by 2040,” said Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council (ACC). “All of us have an interest in ensuring that plastics are collected and recycled into new and valuable products instead of ending up in our environment, and success will require many forms of collaboration. We look forward to working with Congress on ways to create more circular solutions for plastics. Last month we released a Roadmap to Reuse, a framework that outlines steps to grow recycling and recovery in the U.S., and guiding principles for eliminating plastic waste that can help shape legislation and other actions to help grow recycling and recovery of plastics.”

Multiple approaches are outlined in our guiding principles to help grow and modernize plastics recycling domestically, including:

• National standards for recycling programs, education, and plastic bales, to harmonize best practices and greatly scale buying and selling of recycled plastics;
• Multi-material packaging fees and higher disposal fees to support funding for basic collection, access to infrastructure and consumer education;
• Recycled content legislation, which would help facilitate greater use of recycled plastics in new packaging and other goods;
• The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which would support scientists and agencies in studying innovative ways to repurpose used plastics and minimize plastic waste generation; and
• Updated regulatory frameworks that classify advanced recycling technologies as manufacturing processes instead of waste disposal, which helps advanced recycling technology providers expand and create new economic opportunities to repurpose plastics into valuable new feedstocks for plastics and other products of chemistry.

Earlier in 2020, ACC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Energy to support innovations in plastics recycling and recovery technologies and strengthen domestic supply chains while improving economic and environmental outcomes. ACC also works closely with other partners including The Recycling Partnership, Closed Loop Partners and the Association of Plastic Recyclers on a variety of plastics recycling projects.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com