PLASTICS Releases New Recycling Is Real Videos Featuring Five Star Family of Companies Facility in Houston, Texas

 Washington, D.C. — The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released a series of new videos as part of the Recycling Is Real advocacy initiative. The videos showcase the recycling work taking place at the Five Star Family of Companies’ facility in Houston, Texas, where employees are turning used plastic bags into new bags and other products.

Since its launch in 2023, PLASTICS’ Recycling Is Real campaign has highlighted both mechanical and advanced recycling facilities throughout the United States. Employees featured in each video represent the recycling workforce in communities nationwide. Previously featured locations include: Atlanta, GA; Kingsport, TN; Madison, WI; North Vernon, IN; Baton Rouge, LA; Portland, PA; Eagle Rock, VA; Rialto, CA; Wytheville, VA; Piqua, OH; Reidsville, NC; Tampa, FL; Chino, CA; Ironton, OH; and Farmingdale, NY.  

“In Texas and across America, your plastic bags can be recycled, and Five Star Family of Companies is doing it every day,” said PLASTICS President and CEO Matt Seaholm. “Our Recycling Is Real campaign highlights the dedicated workforce and innovations driving recycling efforts across the country. Through these new videos, we’re proud to show the public and policymakers that plastic recycling is not only real—it’s practical, effective, and critical to building a stronger, more circular economy.”

Tim White, Chief Strategy Officer of Five Star Family of Companies said, “We have been collecting, sorting, washing, and recycling post-consumer waste at Five Star for decades. Our investment in recycling capabilities has allowed us to develop products and closed-loop programs with our customers that reclaim tens of millions of pounds of plastic waste each year and employ hundreds of families in Houston. We are proud of our people, our innovation, and our recycling operations and we are excited to showcase this in the Recycling Is Real video series.”

The Recycling Is Real campaign provides content to help elected officials and policymakers understand that recycling is a vital link in the sustainability and circularity chain, enabling them to make well-informed decisions about recycling infrastructure and support.

The Recycling Is Real campaign was launched to combat false narratives suggesting that recycling is not happening or that it’s a “myth.” With some seeking to reduce or eliminate plastic production altogether, Recycling Is Real demonstrates where and how recycling occurs—and introduces the people making it happen.