A group of eight companies have united to form the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) with a goal of forming a technical coalition to increase cost-effective plastics recycling solutions in the health care industry. HPRC members include Becton, Dickinson and Co.; Cardinal Health; Engineered Plastics; DuPont; Hospira; Johnson & Johnson; Kimberly Clark; and Waste Management Inc.
The HPRC says its focus will be on identifying the barriers to increasing the recycling of plastics used in the health care industry and developing solutions through the whole value chain, including product design and manufacturing through product use, disposal and recycling.
According to an announcement by the association, HPRC is currently engaged in three initiatives designed to increase the recycling of select plastics. The first initiative, health care plastics value chain mapping, is focused on defining the health care value chain and identifying issues and barriers along the value chain that disable plastics recycling. The second initiative, design for recycling guidelines, is focused on developing a document that articulates product and packaging design considerations that could enhance the plastic recycling potential and value. The third initiative, pilot study programs within health care facilities, is focused on building a data model to facilitate economic analysis of plastics recycling.
More information is available at www.hprc.org.