Big Ideas Podcast Episode #37: Strengthening recycling systems for PET packaging circularity

The Recycling Partnership team aims to advance circular economy practices by improving the recycling system. They focus on PET packaging, working on projects like increasing recycled content in new PET bottles, creating efficient PET waste collection systems, and developing new technologies for closing the loop on plastic packaging.

Amcor partners with NGOs like The Recycling Partnership to share industry expertise and promote recycling standards. They work on increasing material collection and recycling throughout the value chain, and educating customers and consumers to improve recycling opportunities and behavior.

While the recycling rate for PET bottles in the U.S. is at 28%, there's room for improvement. The Recycling Partnership's goal is to make PET recycling a truly circular process. To achieve this, they focus on all stages of the recycling process, from collection and sorting to processing and manufacturing.

Overcoming color challenges in PET recycling is crucial. Clear and light blue PET bottles are easily recycled, but opaque PET bottles face difficulties. With advanced recycling technologies emerging, there's potential for a comprehensive solution to address these challenges.

Adam emphasizes the importance of convenience in recycling, as only half of U.S. residents with access to recycling programs find them as convenient as garbage disposal. The Recycling Partnership supports policies that incentivize participation and expand recycling infrastructure. By learning from successful recycling practices, they aim to increase recycling rates and promote sustainability.

Amcor believes that collaboration with partners, consumer engagement, and policy advocacy can shift recycling behavior. Together with The Recycling Partnership, they work towards making recycling an effortless process.

A $17 billion investment over five years is needed to improve recycling rates, according to The Recycling Partnership. This includes a new approach to films and flexible plastics, infrastructure upgrades, and consumer education initiatives. With a potential return of $30 billion, recycling rates could more than double, underlining the importance of plastic recycling as an environmental strategy.

Addressing misconceptions about the recycling process is key to fostering a clearer understanding. As plastics will continue to be vital due to their resource efficiency and carbon footprint, establishing a robust recycling system is essential for sustainable resource management. The complexities of recycling and its environmental impact emphasize the need for collaborative efforts to drive change.

For further reading on how the packaging industry can scale its use of recycled content, check out David Clark’s piece on building a market for recycled content.

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Adam Gendell and the work and viewpoints of The Recycling Partnership.

About the Big Ideas podcast
The world is becoming increasingly aware of the need for sustainable practices, and the recycling of plastic packaging is an essential part of this. The Big Ideas podcast brings together global business and sustainability leaders to discuss how innovation and collaboration can help us achieve a more circular economy.

About The Recycling Partnership
At The Recycling Partnership, we are solving for circularity. As a mission-driven NGO, we are committed to advancing a circular economy by building a better recycling system. We mobilize people, data, and solutions across the value chain to reduce waste and our impact on the environment while also unlocking economic benefits. We work on the ground with thousands of communities to transform underperforming recycling programs; we partner with companies to achieve packaging circularity, increase access to recycled materials, and meet sustainability commitments; and we work with government to develop policy solutions to address the systemic needs of our residential recycling system and advance a circular economy. We foster public-private partnerships and drive positive change at every step of the recycling and circularity process. Since 2014, we have diverted 770 million pounds of new recyclables from landfills, avoided more than 670,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, and driven significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. Learn more at recyclingpartnership.org.