SPI, NAPCOR Award Grant Money

Two plastics associations — the Plastics Industry Trade Association (SPI) and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) — have jointly announced the winners of grant money to establish programs for collecting and processing PET thermoformed packaging.

The request for proposal (RFP) focused exclusively on PET thermoformed packaging, including clamshells, cups, trays, boxes and lids, all made from PET sheet and labeled with the No. 1 resin code. The RFP received a total of 13 proposals.

In a news release, Mike Schedler, NAPCOR technical director, says, "The quality and diversity of grant proposals was truly gratifying. It confirmed to us that intermediate processors of recycled materials in the U.S. are not only eager to capture and market PET thermoform material domestically, but have already begun to work through how to make it happen. We expect this program to result in successful, sustainable PET thermoform recycling models that will be replicable in other markets."

The three grant recipients are:
 

• Montgomery County, Md., Department of Environmental Protection Located in central Maryland, Montgomery County owns, manages and operates comprehensive recycling programs and facilities, including a 57,000-square-foot publicly owned and operated recycling center that serves more than 1.5 million people. Montgomery County’s programs encompass single-family and multi-family residential, commercial, government and away-from-home opportunities. With a strong focus on community education and a multi-phased approach to collecting and marketing PET thermoforms, Montgomery County’s program is expected to provide a solid urban / suburban model program, offering both an immediate and a long-term impact on the recycling of PET thermoforms.
• Firstar Fiber Inc. Serving about 1 million residents in the Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., metropolitan regions and western regions of Iowa, Firstar Fiber is a privately owned recycling operation with a diverse customer base and collection stream. Firstar has built a strong collaborative PET thermoform recycling program support team that includes the city of Omaha’s recycling office, local collegiate sports venues and regional retail grocery representatives. Its PET thermoform collection efforts will be focused on residential and away-from home programs, including sporting event education and collection at Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
• Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center Inc. A nonprofit corporation, the RMC helps develop and expand recycling markets in the state. Their program will serve the 165,000 residents of Elk and Lebanon Counties and will focus on reverse supply chain dynamics, primarily end market development, intermediate processing for material quality beneficiation and modeling of rural PET thermoform collection.

“We are extremely pleased by the selection of three such high-caliber operations to receive the grant funding. This program marks an important milestone toward keeping thermoform packaging out of landfills and making the recycling of them commonplace,” says SPI President and CEO Bill Carteaux. “The diversity of these three grant recipients enables us to provide models for public and private operations, as well as for both metropolitan and rural areas.”