Study Examines Recycling Access for Plastics

The study surveyed roughly 2,500 communities and found that within the 100 largest cities, the percentage of the population with access to recycling programs for plastic containers in addition to bottles has nearly doubled since 2008.

 “We are thrilled that so many consumers have access to plastics recycling in their communities,” says Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the ACC. “The next step is to increase awareness, so that more people take advantage of this opportunity to do something good for our environment and for the businesses that depend on this valuable material.”

According to the study, recycling programs are more effective when they specify the shape (e.g., bottles, tubs, trays, lids, etc.) of the plastic containers accepted in recycling programs rather than the resin code (Nos. 1-7).

The ACC sponsored the study as part of a cooperative effort with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a project of the nonprofit GreenBlue, which is working to launch a new voluntary labeling system for the recycling of packaging in June. The initiative is designed to help consumers better understand how to recycle various packaging components and to provide a harmonized approach to consumer communication on recycling.