Page 58 - Plastics News July 2024

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Vander Ark, president and CEO of Republic Services costs tied around recycling’s neck. “That’s a no-win
– both companies have invested heavily in expand- situation. It’s just not going to work. The things that
ing their recycled plastic processing capacity in the will make that work are legislation.”
past few years. “If we don’t have the material to put ‘Take the devil out of plastics’
on those lines, it’s just equipment.”
Several panelists joined the call for recycling-friendly
policy. Nix and Alexander favored state laws requir-
ing that new packages include minimum propor-
tions of recycled content, as some states have done,
as a way to essentially force demand into being.

Vander Ark said brands’ verbal commitments don’t
always reach into the companies’ cost-focused
procurement offices without that legal poke. “That
world is starting to rotate because of regulation,
and we’re seeing that in California, New Jersey and
other states. And that’s the reason why we’re mak-
ing this investment.”
Boosting recycling tax credits to match other indus-
Demand can appear strong at least for certain res-
ins and contexts. After Republic began building fa- tries, making recycling programs more consistent in
cilities to process post-consumer plastic, “we had 50 the materials they accept and requiring manufac-
turers to buy their recycled resin domestically would
customers come up to us and say ‘we’ll buy every
molecule that comes out the back door of all five of all help as well, Alexander said. Extended producer
your facilities,’” Vander Ark said. responsibility seems promising, but he’s waiting to
see results.
Yet demand can falter or lag when sustainability
goals fall by the wayside in the face of low virgin “The plastics recycling industry is being left behind,
costs, concerns over food safety or other factors. because we’re tasked to do it all by ourselves,” he
said.
Some post-consumer films have received no-ob-
jection letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Admin- Nina Bellucci Butler, CEO at Stina Inc. and a mod-
istration for their use in food-grade pouches, but erator of two sessions, pressed panelists to keep
“we’re still seeing some resistance in that actually a deeper need in mind: making recycling worth-
while, in all senses of the word. Recycling does a lot
being commercialized,” said Cherish Changala, vice
president of sustainability and public affairs at the of good, including for the environment and public
Arkansas-based reclaimer Revolution. health, but this isn’t always obvious or tangible for
the general public.
“In many cases, you can say they’re able to recycle
material, but it’s that demand that’s not there,” she “I can either throw it away, where it’s easy, or I can
said. “What’s it going to take to get us over that hur- recycle. It’s a little extra effort. There’s no economic
dle?” benefit for them to do that. So what is the other moti-
vation that they have?” she said. “Is there something
With all of this in mind, the question posed by a ses- that we haven’t thought of yet that really provides
sion title – can PCR still compete? – has a clear an- the value on PCR, that represents all those things
swer, said panelist David Nix, president of Pennsyl- that society actually needs? It is a public service, and
vania-based Green Group Consulting. we’re not seeing that translated to the reclaimers.”

“No, it can’t compete,” he said, pointing to the myr- Brian King, executive vice president of marking at
iad collection, shipping, processing and cleaning Advanced Drainage Systems out of Ohio, pointed

60 PLASTICS NEWS July 2024