Plastics Industry Pushes for More Recycling Infrastructure

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): With near unanimous agreement that something must be done to stem the flow of plastic waste into landfills, waterways and oceans, members of the plastics industry are working closely with recycling advocates and other stakeholders to ensure funding for recycling projects is included in the infrastructure spending bills currently being considered by Congress.

"When it comes to marine debris and litter, we are often in agreement with plastics critics about the overall problem: that waste materials should not end up in places they do not belong," explained Scott DeFife, vice president for government affairs for the Washington, D.C.-based Plastics Industry Association, which represents every segment of the plastics supply chain.

"As an association that represents plastic manufacturers," he continued, "people who take pride and joy in making products that keep food safe and enable life-saving devices in hospitals, the last place we want to see our members’ products end up is on a sidewalk or in the marine environment."

Plastic waste in the marine environment has become a global cause for concern. In California, the Legislature banned single-use plastic bags in grocery stores in 2016, and a similar bill proposes to ban unattached plastic bottle caps. Plastic drinking straws are also on the list.

Yet at the same time, the state’s vaunted 30-year-old "Bottle Bill" program, which provides subsidies to recycling centers throughout California, appears to be breaking down.

California’s 2,000 or so recycling centers, where customers exchange plastic, glass and aluminum containers for cash refunds, typically recycled more than 80 percent of the state’s plastic beverage waste. After a 2016 funding shortfall that has yet to be rectified, more than 500 centers have closed, and recycling rates have fallen below 80 percent for the first time in years.

Nationally, 94 percent of Americans have access to recycling services, including 73 percent who have curbside recycling, according to a study commissioned by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. That represents a great stride forward in the recycling of all materials.

But according to the EPA, of the 35.2 million tons of plastic waste generated in the U.S. in 2014, just 9.5 percent was recycled, with another 15 percent burned in co-generation plants. The remaining 75.5 percent went into landfills. Some of that will eventually make it into waterways and into the ocean. The need for recycling infrastructure investment is self-evident.

"When discussing so called ‘single-use’ products, like straws or utensils, the focus shouldn’t be whether we have them on not, but instead that they are disposed of properly," DeFife said. "We’re serious about focusing on solutions, and that means investing in expanding recycling technology."

Courtesy: https://wasteadvantage.com