I recently read the report on plastics recycling rates by The Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics and, like many of you, it certainly was not good for my blood pressure.The pitiful white flag of surrender raised by the reports' authors certainly does not speak for the tens of thousands of Americans employed by our industry who, amidst a global p...

Working with Brand Owners and Recyclers to Achieve Recyclability Goals Two testing protocols that determine whether film packaging is compatible with the current recycling infrastructure, along with an additional resource, have been updated and published by the leading plastics recycling authority in North America. The Association of Plastic Recycl...

The 2020 U.S. Post-consumer Plastic Recycling Data Report released today highlights that like most industries, plastics recycling faced significant challenges through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Major disruptions in collection, transportation and staffing shortages, as well as supply chain issues impacted the supply of material available for recycling. ...

Every so often the Association of Plastic Recyclers feels the need to come out with its views on degradable additives. That time has come once again, APR CEO Steve Alexander said, as there's been more talk in the past year or so regarding the use of such additives and their impact on mechanical recycling. Read the full article from Plastics News. R...

As the Voice of Plastics Recycling®, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) envisions a world with a circular economy for plastic goods - a world in which companies manufacture recyclable products and consumers buy products made from recycled materials. An effective recycling chain is of paramount importance in achieving climate and economic su...

Steve Alexander, President & CEO of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), issued the following statement regarding the effects of degradable additives on mechanical recycling of postconsumer plastics: Claims regarding the recyclability of degradable additives are unfounded, untested, and possibly misleading as outlined by the U.S. Federal...

Extended Produce Responsibility Act could triple recycling rates for residential materials and lower GHG emissions Steve Alexander, President of The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), The Voice of Plastics Recycling®, issued the following statement on New York Governor Kathy Hochul's Executive Budget proposal to enact an extended producer resp...

Register Now What Happens at an APR Member Meeting? General Sessions occur at the beginning and end of the meetings. APR's President offers a "State of the APR" address and other presentations address topics of broad industry appeal. Committee Meetings occur on Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Except for the PET Reclaimers Working Group, at...

2021 saw both positive developments and continued challenges for plastic recycling. Design and supply hurdles; legislative and regulatory proposals; transportation and hiring issues along with increased state legislative activities all combined to require even greater levels of engagement from APR's expert staff. Thanks to the continued support of ...

The go-to reference to design recyclable packaging across the globe The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) today launched the APR Global Design Catalog, a comprehensive resource to access the most current plastic packaging recyclability guidelines for countries and regions around the world. Different countries and regions operate a variety of r...

On January 25th the U.S. Plastics Pact released its Problematic and Unnecessary Materials List as a first step in accelerating progress toward a circular economy for plastic packaging in the United States. On this episode of Recycled Content, hosts Steve Alexander and Kara Pochiro went straight to the heart of the matter with Emily Tipaldo, Executi...

The US Plastics Pact's list identifying problematic and unnecessary materials is the result of more than 18 months of expansive discussion, research and debate among the more than 100 companies and organizations that are Pact Activators, some who have also voluntarily signed on to meet the goals of the Global Plastic Commitment outlined by the Elle...

Creating a circular economy for recycled plastics The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) today announced the first companies to receive Meets Preferred Guidance (MPG) Recognition. Launched in August of this year, the MPG program recognizes materials, components, and complete packages composed of PET, HDPE, PP, and PE film that are considered P...

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) announced today the formation of a new working group focused on identifying the key steps needed for chemical recycling processes to play an effective role in the recycling of plastic products. The APR Chemical Recycling Research Working Group, announced to APR members last week at the APR annual meeting, ...

Register Now What Happens at an APR Member Meeting? General Sessions occur at the beginning and end of the meetings. APR's President offers a "State of the APR" address and other presentations address topics of broad industry appeal. Committee Meetings occur on Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Except for the PET Reclaimers Working Group, at...

Closing the loop between package designers and plastic recyclers The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) today announced an updated and improved version of the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability for PE Film Packaging. Developed over the past year by a working group of APR's Film Reclamation Committee, the updated guidance reflects the ...

The Hon. Tom CarperChairSenate Environment and Public Works Committee2410 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510 Dear Chair Carper: The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), the international trade organization that serves as the Voice of Plastics Recycling®, appreciates the opportunity to provide comments to supplement the record of ...

The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) recently announced the Meets Preferred Guidance (MPG) Review Program to recognize companies that develop packaging that meet the "APR Preferred" category according to APR's definition of recyclability outlined in the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability. Participation encourages companies that man...

Creating a circular economy for recycled plastics  The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) today announced a new program to recognize companies that develop packaging that meet the "APR Preferred" category according to APR's definition of recyclability outlined in the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability. Participation in the Meets...

Our host Steve Alexander is joined this week by Kate Davenport, Co-President of Eureka Recycling, to discuss Eureka's work and mission of demonstrating that waste is completely preventable, not inevitable, challenges that materials recovery facilities are facing, and the future of recycling. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Sound...