As part of its ongoing plastics recycling and market development activities, the American Plastics Council -- a part of the American Chemistry Council -- announced the launch of www.PlasticBagRecycling.org, the most comprehensive online resource for plastic bag and film recovery in California.
The site is designed to further increase the recycling of plastic shopping and retail bags and clean plastic film, such as commercial stretch wrap and shrink-wrap. There is a great potential for such an increase, because only a small portion of easily recoverable plastic materials actually gets recovered.
Developed in conjunction with Moore Recycling Associates of Sonoma, Calif., the interactive website is a powerful resource that educates consumers, businesses, and public agency employees about local film recycling opportunities in their regions.
"This online resource from APC is an exciting new tool that will further foster sustainable markets for recycled plastic products," said Linda Moulton-Patterson, chair of the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
Consumers can access the website to generate a list of grocery stores, recycling centers, and transfer stations in their local area that are willing to accept plastic materials from the public. The site also includes a film identification section to help users determine acceptable material for their local drop off location.
The site also is a resource for commercial enterprises and the public sector, says Heidi Melander, Senior Associate at Brown, Vence & Associates, a consulting firm that assists California municipalities with solid waste and recycling programs. www.PlasticBagRecycling.org is a great tool for anyone doing waste audits -- recycling coordinator, consultant, waste hauler, operations manager," said Ms. Melander, who is also President of the Northern California Recycling Association. "Anybody who is trying to maximize diversion, or just plain curious about the intricacies of recycling should pay it a visit."
Commercial users are able to access a number of sections designed to assist users in developing a film recovery program. The various sections include information on markets, film identification (for businesses), equipment, a calculator tool for determining the economics of recovery, clip art, sample market specifications, and general handling and loading guidelines.
In addition to the website, an important element will be assisting public agency recycling coordinators in the development of new film drop-off locations so more opportunities exist to recycle clean film and bags.
Recycling coordinators may also disseminate information to small businesses and the general public about the availability of existing collection points.
In addition, APC and Moore Recycling will be working to facilitate the development of new recovery programs within the commercial sector. There is tremendous demand for clean plastic film by manufacturers who produce durable, long-lasting lumber from recycled plastic polyethylene film and wood waste for use in residential and commercial decking. Two innovative manufacturers are TREX of Winchester, Va. and Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (A.E.R.T.) of Springdale, Ark.
"Recycling is an environmental stewardship that all companies should embrace," said Doug Brooks, President of A.E.R.T. "We fully support the American Plastics Council and its efforts to promote the recycling of polyethylene film and bags in California and across the U.S."