Reduce, reuse, recycle – we've all heard it a hundred times. This year, the need to reduce what we buy and the value of reusing and repairing what we can has hit home. But everything has an end to its useful life, and that is where recycling comes in. Recycling is a necessary and important part of sustainability that prevents waste and reduces the ...

APR President and CEO Steve Alexander answers questions about a new law in California that sets minimum post-consumer resin content requirements for plastic bottles. What is AB-793? AB 793 is a new law in California, passed unanimously by the California legislature and signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on August 28, 2020, that req...

In 2017 there was a perfect storm for the plastics recycling industry in the United States.  With China's National Sword policy, U.S. recyclers suddenly lost a market for 65% of curbside-collected polypropylene, including nearly all bulky rigids. At the same time, a tsunami of virgin resin hit the marketplace, with over 50 million pounds (260 ...

The success of plastic recycling is dependent on consistent demand from brand companies and manufacturers. As brand companies continue to publicly state a wide variety of sustainability commitments that commonly include increased postconsumer resin (PCR) content and design for recyclability, it would seem the two industries could naturally work han...

On Earth Day, just like every day, APR is the "Voice of Plastics Recycling." We work with our members at every link of the plastics industry supply chain to strengthen the circular economy and create a more sustainable, less wasteful world. This year's Earth Day theme is climate action. It is abundantly clear that an effective recycling chain is of...

The Frontline program, "Plastic Wars," revisited old, anti-recycling messages and ignored many recent successes of the plastic recycling industry fueled by technology and innovation. The program highlighted a number of challenges facing the plastic recycling industry, but failed to show how APR and our member companies are taking on – and overcomin...

This Global Recycling Day, people across the world are celebrating recycling as the key to sustainability. Plastics at the end of their useful life are not waste, but a tremendous environmental and economic opportunity. As recyclers, we capture this valuable resource and return it to the circular economy. We are the ones who close the loop. But tod...

Today, plastics recyclers are shouldering the burden of an increasingly complex waste stream. In the face of this enormous undertaking, innovations in recycling technology and packaging design are driving growth, sustainability, and profitability in our industry. This year at the annual APR Technical Forum and Recycling Showcase, we are pleased to ...

A primary goal at The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is to further the circular economy by dramatically increasing the volume of plastic that is recycled back into marketable products.Brand owners make new public commitments on almost a weekly basis to use significantly more recycled content in their products and packages. It is essential t...