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...

APR President Steve Alexander is joined this week by Don Loepp, Editor of Plastics News and Editorial Director with the Crain Polymer Group. Steve and Don talk potential federal activity on plastic recycling, compare US and European standards, and explore communications around sustainable practice. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts...

Bridget Anderson, the Deputy Commissioner of Recycling and Sustainability at NYC Department of Sanitation, joins our host Steve Alexander for a great conversation about her work at the largest municipal waste management agency in the nation. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, or anywhere else you get your podcasts! ...

John Caturano, Senior Sustainability Manager of Packaging and Programs at Nestlé Waters, NA, joins host Steve Alexander for a wide-ranging conversation that covers how Nestlé is coping with coronavirus and the company's commitments to sustainability. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, or anywhere else you get your podca...

Steve chats with Greg Janson, CEO of QRS Inc., a post-consumer plastic processor, to discuss how QRS is functioning in the time of coronavirus, how post-consumer processing works and the American demand for this work, and what it takes to enhance the value of post-consumer resin (PCR). Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud,...

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...

We're joined this week by special guest Brent Bell, the President of Waste Management Recycle America, to talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on the recycling industry. Steve and Brent discuss how the industry is modifying practices to keep employees and the public safe and healthy, communicating effectively with your workforce during these uncertai...

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...

Steve sits down with Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, to discuss the Partnership and its work across the country, the state of American recycling today, and what the future holds for the circular economy. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, or anywhere else you get your podcasts! 

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR)'s President Steve Alexander and VP of Communications & Public Affairs Kara Pochiro talk with Sarah Peery, the Legislative Assistant to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), about the RECYCLE Act, her work in Congress to amplify the voices of Ohioans, and more. Find out more about Senator Portman's work on Twitte...

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...

Last week, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) held the first ever APR Design® for Plastics Recyclability Regional Training Conference. Consumer brand companies, resin producers, packaging manufacturers, and others assembled to learn how materials flow through the recycling system. Van Dyk Recycling Solutions hosted the event at its state-of...

Amidst all the media coverage about plastic recycling, the team at APR has produced a new video to help shine a light on an important missing part of the conversation: Demand drives recycling. The recently released video explains that consumers can and do play an integral role in the effectiveness of the recycling chain – both by putting recyclable...

Authored by Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and Steve Alexander, President of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Most people in the recycling community know that recycling is alive and well in the United States. Although there are current adjustments due to the actions of China, there are market...

This was originally posted on The Hill on February 28, 2019. Recently on Capitol Hill, the plastics industry gathered congressional staff and reporters together to highlight a billion-dollar campaign designed to rid the ocean of plastic. At the event, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) announced the reintroduction of legi...

The headlines about the rippling effect of China's National Sword continue. Recycling facilities left with material. China's Sword cutting deep into recycling. Lasting effects of China's Sword. Where will all the plastics go? Although these headlines are of great concern, The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) believes that China's action serve...

Samuel Adams' Founder Jim Koch once stated, "They don't teach you this in Harvard Business School, but it's all about people. Everything happens by, with or through people. Nothing just happens on its own." In the recycling world, it's no different. From where I sit at the SC Department of Commerce, without a workforce, the bottles and jugs that ar...