Plastics Recycling Library

APR, American Chemistry Council and More Recycling developed The APR Guide for Plastic Sorting Best Management Practices (BMPs) to facilitate greater consistency in data collection for plastic sorting standardization.

Learn more about which states have passed laws requiring mandatory plastic bottle recycling or a plastic bottle ban to help increase the quantity of plastic being recycled.

Learn more about California’s Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) law.

The term “bottle bill” or “container deposit law” refers to a law which requires a minimum refundable deposit on beer, soft drink or other beverage container to encourage the return of these containers for recycling. Learn more about active bottle bills.

PayAsYouThrow.org is a project of the Recycling Foundation and is supported by forward-thinking organizations that believe in the power of pay-as-you-throw to help cities and towns achieve their municipal waste reduction and recycling goals.

This Recycling Partnership report is an analysis of the dimensions, performance, stresses, and opportunities for improvement to 2020 curbside recycling in the U.S.

This 2018 survey evaluated each state’s largest municipality’s recycling website information. Conducted to get a sense of how and what plastics are currently being collected, it is by no means a definitive source of information.

This 2018 study was a cooperative effort between the Plastics Division of ACC and APR with the goal of quantifying the amount of HDPE and PP bottles collected for recycling, as well as the rate of recycling of those bottles. This study includes postconsumer recycling values and comments for PET.

This 2017 study was a cooperative effort between the Plastics Division of ACC and APR with the goal of quantifying the amount of HDPE and PP bottles collected for recycling, as well as the rate of recycling of those bottles. This study includes postconsumer recycling values and comments for PET.

The 2017 annual report on U.S. pounds of postconsumer non-bottle rigid plastics (packaging and non-packaging) recovered for recycling.

This National Postconsumer Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Report details the amount of plastic bags and film recovered in 2017, in the U.S., for recycling.

This 2016 study was a cooperative effort between the Plastics Division of ACC and APR with the goal of quantifying the amount of HDPE and PP bottles collected for recycling, as well as the rate of recycling of those bottles. This study includes postconsumer recycling values and comments for PET.

This 2016 report provides a detailed overview of the recycling of injection stretch blow molded PET bottles and jars in the U.S. and a general summary of the recycling of PET thermoforms.

The 2016 annual report on U.S. pounds of postconsumer non-bottle rigid plastics (packaging and non-packaging) recovered for recycling.

This National Postconsumer Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Report details the amount of plastic bags and film recovered in 2016, in the U.S., for recycling.

This Recycling Partnership report is an analysis of the dimensions, performance, stresses, and opportunities for improvement to 2016 curbside recycling in the U.S.

The 2015 annual report on U.S. pounds of postconsumer non-bottle rigid plastics (packaging and non-packaging) recovered for recycling.

This National Postconsumer Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Report details the amount of plastic bags and film recovered in 2015, in the U.S., for recycling.

This 2015 report provides a detailed overview of the recycling of injection stretch blow molded PET bottles and jars in the U.S. and a general summary of the recycling of PET thermoforms.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) contracted with Franklin Associates, a division of Eastern Research Group (ERG), to examine the impact of switching from plastic packaging, including rigid bottles and containers, caps, closures, bags, flexibles, and films, to function-similar and adequate metal, glass, and paper/cardboard materials.

APR contracted with Franklin Associates to examine the life cycle impacts of postconsumer recycled plastic pellets vs. virgin plastic pellets from petrochemical sources. This study comparing plastic pellets is one of many over the last two decades and reflects current mechanical recycling practice.

In this white paper Senior Recycling Specialist, Jim Hill, explores California’s Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) law that has been in action for nearly three decades.

This study analyzed the energy requirements and environmental impacts of postconsumer recycled plastic resin as compared to virgin plastic resin, for PET, HDPE, and PP.

This study contains a breakout of each type of bale, sorted by product and resin categories and shows average percentage of each category in the bale. Appendixes includes detailed sort data broken down both by bale type/product category and by bale type/ resin. Contact APR to purchase the full report.

This 2015 study evaluated the flow of packages in a variety of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and what potential changes to the sorting processes could improve recovery. Five national trade associations, including ACC, APR, CCNA, FPI, and NAPCOR joined together to commission this study.

This study analyzed the energy requirements and environmental impacts of postconsumer recycled plastic resin as compared to virgin plastic resin, for HDPE and PET.

This position statement has been formally approved by the APR Board of Directors. They are the result of input from APR members. APR’s intent has been to use these positions as a guide for participating at appropriate legislative venues where these issues are debated.

This position statement has been formally approved by the APR Board of Directors. They are the result of input from APR members. APR’s intent has been to use these positions as a guide for participating at appropriate legislative venues where these issues are debated.

This position statement has been formally approved by the APR Board of Directors. They are the result of input from APR members. APR’s intent has been to use these positions as a guide for participating at appropriate legislative venues where these issues are debated.

This position statement has been formally approved by the APR Board of Directors. They are the result of input from APR members. APR’s intent has been to use these positions as a guide for participating at appropriate legislative venues where these issues are debated.

This position statement has been formally approved by the APR Board of Directors. They are the result of input from APR members. APR’s intent has been to use these positions as a guide for participating at appropriate legislative venues where these issues are debated.

Everybody has been talking about plastics recycling lately, but do you know how the chain of recycling works? This short video walks you through the chain of recycling from consumer back to store.

This video from the Carolinas Plastics Recycling Council and APR highlights the economic impact of plastics recycling in the Carolinas at a time when China is tightening up what imported recycling commodity materials it will accept.

In this short video a producer from NowThis News follows materials from their office recycling bin all the way to Sims Municipal Recycling.

Learn how a typical plastic cap travels through the entire recycling process. These same steps can be taken to recycle plastic caps on other containers like laundry detergent, cleaning products, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, as well as condiment, snack and other food bottles.

Learn how a typical non-bottle container travels through the entire recycling process. These same steps can be taken to recycle many other types of non-bottle containers including tubs for butter/sour cream, smaller single serve yogurt containers, cups, to-go clamshells, small storage crates and small buckets.

Learn how a typical bulky rigid plastic item travels through the entire recycling process. These same steps can be taken to recycle many other types of bulky rigids including crates, buckets, baskets, totes and lawn furniture.

Launched from the "Your Bottle Means Jobs" campaign in partnership with NAPCOR, this video shows a plastic bottle journey from the recycling bin to a new, marketable product. The video highlights the economic impact of the plastic recycling industry in the Carolinas.

Get a tour of new HDPE/PP washing line for rigid plastic recycling, installed by AMUT Group in England.

PetStar showcases their recycling operations as well as the benefits of PET packaging and recycling.

This video showcases a recycling facility operated by Plastic Recycling, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana that is designed to process mixed bales of solid and foam polystyrene from curbside residential recycling programs.

New Yorkers have been required to recycle for over 25 years. While it's part of everyday life, what happens after the bags are loaded into a truck largely remains a mystery. Spend a day in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn to take a look at the Sims Municipal Recycling facility.

Plastics Make it Possible® produced this video with the goal of helping people understand what happens to our used plastics after we toss them in the bin.

This educational video series are useful tools for grocery stores that want to “green” their operations through rigid plastic recycling programs.

In North America water bottles account for more than 2 million tons of waste each year. The value chain can improve this through recycling allowing rPet to be recycled back into another PET container.

Discover how Trex recycles plastic bags and film, brought to you by ACC. Learn more about the demand for plastic bags and film and how plastics from your home are collected, processed, and later manufactured into new products.

Todd Sutton, the Waste Sleuth, investigates the recycling of the #6 plastics. His conclusions? PS and EPS are highly recyclable, even in curbside programs, and the demand from manufacturers who use the recycled material to make new products exceeds the current supply.

Take a tour of the EcoStar Recycling Facility in Fitchburg, WI where they recycle beverage bottles and thermoforms from curbside recycling and transform them into marketable packaging for consumers.

CarbonLite is the world's largest "bottle-to-bottle" plastic recycling plant in Riverside, California. Take a look inside the state-of-the-art facility where billions of plastic bottles are churned on an annual basis.

Tour a MRF facility where recycling with single-stream technology is helping some communities recycle more waste from their garbage collection.

Plastics Make it Possible® has teamed up with celebrity chef and TV personality Duff Goldman for the Duff's Kitchen video series. Watch as Duff shows you how plastics make it easy to help the environment by reducing food waste and packaging waste in the kitchen.