Recycling is Part of a Larger System to Tackle Plastic Waste

Recycling is not the first step, or only solution, to tackle the major environmental challenge of plastic waste, but part of an extensive system of comprehensive solutions to create a circular economy. While originally based on the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), the entire system has expanded, and continues to address new challenges and ongoing innovation. APR remains focused on our role within that system – improving recycling for plastics.

The Zero Waste Hierarchy highlights a series of strategies, actions, and policies to work towards creating a Zero Waste system for our planet. According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, the definition of Zero Waste is “the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials without burning them and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.” The hierarchy prioritizes strategies to create a circular economy which is aimed at minimizing waste and keeping products and materials in circulation rather than extracting new material sources from nature.

A linear economy, often called take-make-waste economy, is where products are made with resources from the earth, and then become waste. A circular economy minimizes waste with the objective of keeping materials in use for as long as possible, at their highest value, enabling the conservation of natural resources.

APR’s role within these systems is to improve recycling for plastics, as an alternative to landfills and waste. Our tools and resources help companies design packaging that can be recycled, support innovations that overcome existing recycling challenges, and build stable and reliable markets for post-consumer resin (PCR) as an alternative to virgin plastic.

The APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability provides the resources necessary for companies to rethink and redesign their packaging so it is compatible with the recycling system, which reduces plastic waste, creates a sustainable alternative to virgin plastic and limits natural resource extraction. APR PCR Certification provides transparency to support a reliable, robust PCR market, and ensures that material comes from post-consumer sources that can be used again and again.