Recycling Is Real enters its third year

As Recycling Is Real enters its third year in 2026, our mission remains clear: to show that plastic recycling is not theoretical—it is happening every day across the United States, delivering real environmental, economic and community benefits.

At the same time, the plastics industry knows there is more work to do. Demonstrating that recycling can and does work is only the starting point. To achieve higher recycling rates nationwide, we need partners across the value chain to help scale successful systems, strengthen infrastructure and keep recycling economically viable.

That is why we launched Recycling Is Real in 2023. Too much of the public conversation about recycling was driven by misinformation rather than what is happening inside recycling facilities across the country. We set out to highlight the people, facilities and technologies that make recycling work in the real world. Since then, the campaign has grown into a platform that showcases real recycling facilities, real workers and real processes that keep valuable materials in our economy.

Over the past year, Recycling Is Real has taken an important step forward. We released seven new videos and expanded our strategy from simply showing recycling in action to actively informing and educating through advertising and media. Since its launch, the campaign has generated nearly 7 million total content views and more than 1.8 million video completions—showing that the public wants transparency and facts about how recycling actually works.

External partnerships also helped extend the campaign’s reach. Through an agreement with WM, Recycling is Real became a nationwide slogan for Major League Baseball teams looking to increase recycling rates. This Recycling Is Real collaboration drove 84,000 contest entries and 46 million impressions in 2025. Those impressive results mean more Americans are learning about the importance of recycling—building confidence in the system and reinforcing the message that recycling is an essential part of modern materials management.

Beyond digital storytelling, Recycling Is Real connects industry leaders, policymakers and communities around shared recycling priorities. In 2025, we launched the We Recycle Working Group, bringing together 24 aligned associations in Washington focused on showcasing recycling as a unified voice across the U.S. The group hosted an event on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Recycling Caucus in support of pro-recycling legislation. This effort convened professionals and staff from diverse sectors, united in recognizing recycling as an essential pillar of America’s circular economy.

Looking ahead, our focus is on continuing to educate policymakers and the public, strengthening confidence in the recycling system and showcasing the innovation that keeps valuable materials in use and out of the environment.

In 2026 and beyond, Recycling Is Real will continue to elevate real-world recycling operations, support policies that expand infrastructure and innovation and ensure the voices of recyclers, workers and manufacturers remain front and center. The goal is simple and durable: to keep building momentum for a recycling system that works—for our economy, our communities and our environment.

Recycling Is Real is happening across the country, and our industry has a role in making sure that story is heard. Share the story at www.recyclingisreal.com.