Plastic[Plastic?:Plastic sample cutting machine] recycling is increasing and demand for recycling is high, according to a series of recent studies that focus on the rising rate of plastic recycling in the U.S.
Both the plastics industry and recyclers alike have seen year-over-year increases in the collection and recycling of plastic bottles, bags and wraps, according to multiple industry reports in recent months.
According to the 20th annual National Post-Consumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Report, from the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC), plastic bottle recycling by consumers increased by 46 million pounds in 2009, reaching a record high of nearly 2.5 billion pounds for the year.
"The pounds of bottles collected for recycling has grown each year since the industry survey began in 1990," an announcement of the APR/ACC report, released late last year,states. "The recycling rate for plastic bottles rose nearly 1 percent to reach 28 percent in 2009."
In a separate report, conducted by Moore Recycling Associates, Inc., the ACC found that the recycling of post-consumer plastic bags and wraps reached a record high of nearly 855 million pounds in 2009. This number represents an increase of nearly 22 million pounds from 2008 and a 31 percent rise since 2005. According to the findings, published in the 2009 National Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Bag[Bag?:bag paper pattern sample cutting machine] & Film[Film?:film cutting machine] report, recycling of all plastic film grew eight times faster than recycling overall during this period.
Material from post-consumer plastic bags and product wraps is recycled to make plastic lumber for backyard decks and fences, lawn and garden products, pallets, crates,containers, piping, automotive applications and new plastic bags.
Meanwhile, in a report on U.S. non-bottle recycling volume — packaging[packaging?:DCP-H series packaging sample cutter plotter] and non-packaging — the ACC shows that plastic recycling is increasing and demand for recycling is high.
According to the recent findings, published in 2009 National Report on Post-Consumer Non-Bottle Rigid Plastic Recycling, nearly 480 million pounds of post-consumer rigid plastics was collected for recycling nationwide in 2009, representing a 33 percent increase over 2008 and a 47 percent increase since 2007.
These plastics include non-durable items or packaging such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tubs, polypropylene[polypropylene?:flatbed digital polypropylene/pp cutting machine] (PP) cups and similar food containers, as well as durable items such as pallets, crates, carts and electronic housings.
Industry data attribute the clear rise in recycling to increases in public awareness and drop-off location availability.
In its Plastic Recycling Collection: National Research Study last month, Moore Recycling reports that 94 percent of the population has access to plastic bottle recycling and 40 percent can also recycle other types of plastic containers, such as dairy tubs, lids and yogurt cups.
"There are now nearly 12,000 locations across the country where consumers can bring back their plastic bags and product wraps to be recycled, many of them at major grocery stores and retail chains like Wal-Mart, Target and Lowe's," Steve Russell, VP of plastics for the ACC, said in a statement. "Thanks to the combined efforts of business and civic leaders, communities and NGOs [non-governmental organizations], it's never been easier or more convenient for consumers to recycle their plastic bags and wraps."
While general awareness and overall accessibility to recycling is on the rise, further findings show there is still much work to be done to further educate the public.
Despite more widespread access to plastic bottle recycling, Moore Recycling's findings conclude the recycling rate for Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and HDPE bottles remains less than 30 percent. "This means that the public and communities are not consistently taking advantage of access [and] plastic material is being lost in the collection and processing system," the report states.
As a possible cause for this low performance, the study points to confusing and outdated resin codes or inaccurate information that continues to be distributed to many communities. The study notes that it is more effective to communicate which plastics are recycled in various communities by listing shapes (e.g., bottles, tubs, trays, lids,etc.) than by listing resin codes (Nos. 1-7), which can be confusing.
Creating standardized outreach "would be invaluable and reduce the confusion surrounding plastic recycling collection," Moore Recycling states. "This would help increase the capture rate in those communities that do collect plastic beyond bottles."
