On Jan. 24, 2023, Waste Dive hosted a panel discussion with four recycling policy experts, including Kate Bailey, chief policy officer for the APR, to learn more about upcoming trends and lessons learned from past years. Read the full article from Waste Dive.

As in years past, 2022 saw significant developments, progress, and challenges for plastic packaging and the plastics recycling industry. Supply issues, legislative and regulatory proposals, negative media, as well as other areas of concern all combined to require greater levels of APR engagement and expertise. Policy, APR Design® for Recyclability,...

The legislation, the Washington Recycling and Packaging Act, could have a big impact on recycling more plastics packaging, including by increasing post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, APR said. "The bill's powerful combo of EPR, a deposit system and PCR requirements is the gold standard to improve recycling," APR said on Twitter. "If passed, this ...

States like Washington, Tennessee, and New Jersey have already introduced EPR for packaging bills in January and numerous other states plan to introduce their bills soon. The difference this year is that states are expected to pursue more types of EPR bills that tackle the nuances of the state's wider waste management picture, not just the mechanic...

Dec. 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it is seeking public comment on potential updates and changes to the Guides for the Use of Environmental Claims, also known as the Green Guides. The Commission's Green Guides are designed to help marketers avoid making environmental marketing claims that are unfair or deceptive under Sectio...

Steve Alexander, APR President & CEO, issued the following comments on the FTC action regarding Green Guides: "The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) supports updating the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guides for the Use of Environmental Claims. The FTC's goal in updating the Green Guides should be to help consumers seeking to reduce...

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...

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. The APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability helps companies ensure their packaging is r...

View the recording View the slides In a circular economy, consumer product companies are their own material suppliers. When products are Circular by Design™ they are designed to be compatible with the recycling system, reduce contamination, and enhance the steam of postconsumer resin (PCR) available to manufacture into new products. PCR markets are...

View the recording View the slides Recycling works. As the Voice of Plastics Recycling® we see it happening every day. Let's focus on progress, and what we can do to improve the system. We need to create more supply of postconsumer plastic material and focus on the facts. In 2020, during a global pandemic, almost 5 billion pounds of plastics packag...

Report Outlines Policy Priorities to Further Support and Grow Recycling Washington, DC – The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), The Voice of Plastic Recycling®, issued a report today that provides a data-driven update on the progress of plastic recycling in the United States showing that it is a viable, accessible and scalable solution for red...

View the recording View the slides Presented by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI), and U.S. Plastics Pact Labels are more than meets the eye. The design of your label can make or break the recyclability of your package and even affect the quality of post-consumer content (PCR). To meet the de...

June 7-9, 2022Register 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 Wor...

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...