ACC Launches Group to Boost Plastic Film Recycling

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), Washington, D.C., has formed a new group that will target increased recycling of plastic film. The group, called the Flexible Film Recycling Group (FFRG), follows a report by Moore Recycling Associates that notes the recycling of post-consumer plastic bags and wraps reached close to 972 billion pounds in 2010. Membership in the new group includes members representing the full plastics film value chain, from resin suppliers to film manufacturers, brand owners and recyclers. The report was sponsored by the ACC.
 

The report notes that 2010 recycling figures represents an increase of more than 117 million pounds over 2009 levels when Moore Recycling began tracking this category. Over past five years, the recycling of plastic film grew seven times faster than recycling overall, according to data from EPA.
 

ACC attributes the recent uptick in plastics film recycling to a combination of increased access to collection points via grocery and retail chains, better labeling on bags and a rise in consumer awareness. The recovered polyethylene film is used to make durable plastic and composite lumber for outdoor decks and fencing, home building products, garden products, crates, piping and new film packaging like plastic bags.
 

“We’re excited to see strong growth in the recycling of plastic bags and wraps and even more excited about opportunities for increased recycling in the near future,” Steve Russell, ACC vice president of plastics, says. “The FFRG looks forward to working with all parts of the polyethylene film value chain to make it even simpler to recover and recycle this valuable plastic material.”
 

Initially, the FFRG will focus on increasing plastics film recycling by improving consumer awareness and promoting the growth of recycling infrastructure, particularly among smaller and mid-sized retailers, dry cleaners and other outlets.
 

The FFRG plans to expand the “A Bag’s Life,” a consumer education campaign, to include other plastic product wraps and to partner with the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers and other allied trade groups to bolster the recovery of plastic film.
 

More information is available at www.plasticbagrecycling.org/plasticbag/index.html.