Recyclers opening doors to the public through APR program

The Washington-based Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has announced the first-ever Recycling in Action month, a new initiative the organization says will increase visibility into the plastic recycling process in the United States and its economic and environmental benefits.

In May, the APR says material recovery facilities (MRFs) and plastic recycling facilities across the U.S. will open their doors for tours and information sessions to showcase what happens after recyclables are picked up from the curb.

“Recycling is an interconnected, multistep process that begins in millions of households when recyclables are tossed into the bin,” APR President and CEO Steve Alexander says. “APR creating Recycling in Action to connect the crucial efforts people make at home to the creation of new products made from recycled materials.”

The APR says making packaging from recycled content reduces the need for virgin plastic made from fossil-based sources and requires less energy than producing new plastic from raw materials, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and conserving resources. The organization says recycling also is an “economic growth engine” in North America—responsible for 680,000 jobs across the U.S.

The organization says this combination of economic and environmental benefits is why it is critical for states and Congress to adopt policies to improve recycling. In a news release announcing the program, the APR says, “Stronger recycling for plastics and other materials will create jobs, reduce pollution and strengthen America’s manufacturing capacity. These tours will help demonstrate how recycling works every day and why it’s vital to invest in more and improved recycling across the country.”

Events and tours currently are scheduled in the following locations, with more anticipated:

• KW Plastics in Troy, Alabama;
• WM in Little Rock, Arkansas;
• WM in Surprise, Arizona
• rPlanet Earth in Vernon, California;
• The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County in Palm Beach, Florida;
• WM in Forsyth, Georgia;
• Casella Waste Systems in Charlestown, Massachusetts;
• Kent County Department of Public Works in Grand Rapids, Michigan;
• Eureka Recycling in Minneapolis;
• WM in Raleigh, North Carolina;
• Republic Services Inc. in Las Vegas;
• Balcones Recycling in Brooklyn, New York;
• Rumpke Waste & Recycling in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio;
• Millenium Recycling in Sioux Falls, South Dakota;
• WM in Nashville, Tennessee;
• Balcones Recycling in San Antonio and Austin, Texas;
• WM in Houston;
• Republic Services in Plano, Texas
• Republic Services in Seattle; and
• WM in Germantown, Wisconsin

The APR says the Recycling in Action experience will allow people to see how recyclers separate materials using state-of-the-art technology, understand why certain materials contaminate the sorting process, learn more about how recycling works in their community and what they can do to support and grow recycling.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation about what happens to plastic recyclables after they’re placed in the bin,” Alexander says. “The truth is that, thanks to households and businesses recycling, the equivalent of 340 18-wheeler truckloads of plastic is kept out of landfills every single day. By letting people see recycling in their own communities, we hope to maintain trust in the system and inspire even greater participation.”